ACTU confident of low-paid wage rise
The ACTU went before the Fair Work Australia wages hearings yesterday, arguing that low-paid workers deserve a pay rise in line with Australia’s recovering economy. If passed, the rise would put an extra $27 in the pockets of 1.4 million workers per week.
ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence said “it is essential that low-paid workers share fairly in the economic recovery after shouldering the burden of last year’s downturn”. Millions of Australians were affected by a wage freeze over the past 18 months, while executive salaries and profits rose, according to Lawrence. The pay rise would affect workers in industries such as cleaning, hospitality, retail, transport, childcare and aged care.
Lawrence is optimistic that the submission will succeed, telling reporters gathered outside the hearing this morning that he was confident of its outcome. “We’re very hopeful based on the nature of the process, based upon the legislation, of course which is different, about getting a result favourable to our claim.”
The hearing is the first to go before Fair Work Australia in Melbourne, a new wage-setting mechanism established to replace the Fair Pay Commission set up under WorkChoices during the term of the Howard government.
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so what exactly is a ‘low paid worker’. I just read a few other stories that say 1200 to 1242 a week is the average wage??? I’m not even close to that but I’m probably not classed as a low paid on 45000 a year either.