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GeneralWage freeze starts today - Thanks Johnny
A Federal Government 'wage freeze' for more than 1.6 million low paid workers starts today, 7 June 2006, says the ACTU.
ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said today: "Today marks twelve months since workers on federal awards last won a pay increase ($17 a week) and under the Howard Government's new IR laws they will now have to wait indefinitely for their next wage rise. This means the Federal Government has imposed a wage freeze on the lowest paid workers in our community. Hard working low paid Australians are struggling with rising petrol prices, food costs and interest rates and they deserve a pay rise. While prices continue to go up, the real value of wages for low paid workers is going down. If the Howard Government had not abolished the Australian Industrial Relations Commission's role in setting minimum wages, award workers could now be getting around $20 a week extra in their pay packets to help with the cost of living. Instead, award workers will have to wait until the newly established Low Pay Commission headed by Professor Ian Harper makes its first decision - likely to be many months away. Even then, the Howard Government has refused to guarantee that the wages of award workers will keep pace with the cost of living. And the ACTU calls on the head of the Low Pay Commission, Professor Harper, to commit to backdating any pay increase for low paid workers to today's date, 7 June. Interest rates are up $70 a month since the election, petrol is up $40 a month just this year, and childcare fees are up $100 a month in the last year. Rising costs of food, health and education are also hitting families hard. Working families are struggling to keep their heads above water and now they are being forced to suffer a wage freeze thanks to John Howard's new IR laws. Unions are determined to press ahead with minimum wage claims in the State industrial relations tribunals of QLD, NSW, SA, WA and TAS - despite the Federal Government's attempts to oppose the pay rises and shut the award wages cases down," said Mr Combet.
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© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/general/20060607_freeze.html Site proudly designed and engineered by Social Change Online |
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