The Albanese government has backed a real wage increase for the country’s “low-paid” workers, but it will be up to the industrial umpire to determine exactly who such an employee is. In its submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review — which covers almost 2.9 million award andContinue Reading
The ACTU will push for a pay hike of 5 per cent in the upcoming annual wage review, arguing that an inflation-beating pay increase can be afforded by businesses when profits are surpassing their pre-pandemic levels. But the ACTU’s claim will be met with fierce resistance by employers, while theContinue Reading
Working a full-time job and earning a decent income are no longer safeguards against experiencing severe forms of financial distress, including food insecurity and even poverty, experts warn. Australia’s worsening cost-of-living crisis and a severe housing shortage have pushed millions of households to the brink in recent years, with littleContinue Reading
The average full-time worker is about $3700 better off than they were a year ago, according to new data analysis being spruiked by Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Treasury analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows earnings for the average full-time worker increased 3.9 per cent in the first year ofContinue Reading
Australians earning the minimum wage would get a raise in line with inflation if the national workplace umpire follows Labor’s recommendation. The Albanese government has confirmed it will back a wage increase for Australia’s lowest paid workers that keeps pace with the cost of living for the second year inContinue Reading
Millions of Australians could receive a seven per cent wage boost should a bold proposal from the peak union body be adopted. The Australian Council of Trade Unions have urged the Fair Work Commission to lift the minimum hourly rate for lowest paid workers from $21.38 an hour to $22.88Continue Reading