General

Australian Workplace Agreements

The lowest pay rise in a decade

Today's pay rise for award workers is the lowest rise in minimum wages for ten years and shows the Fair Pay Commission has only listened to big employer groups and the Howard Government says the ACTU.

Despite rising living costs, unaffordable housing prices and spiralling rents and petrol prices major employer groups had asked the Pay Commission to award a pay rise of no more than $10 and today we see a pay rise of between $5 and $10 a week awarded to around 1.2 million minimum award workers.

This shows that the Pay Commission is only listening to big business and that the submissions of low paid workers and their unions have been completely ignored says the ACTU.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:

"This measly pay rise is a slap in the face for hard working Australians and their families who are facing rising petrol prices, rents, childcare and education costs.

At the same time as they are facing increases in the cost of living, many workers have lost their job security and award conditions such as penalty rates, overtime pay, allowances and public holiday pay under the Federal Government's new IR laws.

The living standards of many working families will continue to go backwards with today's decision."

ACTU Secretary-elect Jeff Lawrence said:

"It is a scandal that in this time of economic prosperity that low paid workers have been abandoned in this way by the Howard Government's pay commission.

Australia's economy is strong because of the hard work of Australian workers.

People employed as cleaners, security guards, retail assistants, childcare workers and production workers are working hard and struggling to keep their heads above water. They will be left further behind by this decision.

This pay rise is nowhere near enough to cover the rising cost of living for working families and to ensure they get a fair share of the nation's economic prosperity.

The Prime Minister likes to claim that his Government is the best friend the Australian worker has ever had. But this decision is further proof that the Howard Government is not managing the economy in the interests of ordinary working families.

The Government's IR laws are designed to cut the wages and conditions of ordinary workers and help big business rather than average working Australians," said Mr Lawrence.

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/general/20070705_pay.html
Last Modified: 05 Jul 2007