MELBOURNE, 4 April 2023: The ACTU is locked in a fierce battle before the Fair Work Commission to get a 7% rise for low-paid workers across Australia, opposed by the employers who have submitted for a 3.5/3.8% rise.
“Business supports a pay increase. But it must be one that is reasonable and responsible,” ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has slammed employer groups submission to the Fair Work Commission for a 3.5 % minimum wage rise, compared to the ACTU’s demand for a 7 % rise. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), along with the Master Grocers of Australia and ABI – NSW (Australia Business Industrial) have called for a 3.5 % increase. The AI Group (Australian Industry Group) has yet to come out with a figure, though the Australian Retail Association has called for a 3.8 % increase. The ACTU calls this a ‘real wage cut’ of about $1350.
The ACTU says, ” Inflation was 7.4 per cent for the year to December 2022 on the ABS’s quarterly measure of the consumer price index. It is 6.8% for the year February 2023 on its newer monthly indicator.
News analysis by the ACTU shows that if the Fair Work Commission had accepted employer claims and arguments over the past two years, minimum wage workers would would be at least $2000 worse off today.”
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus says, ” It is a matter of survival. Minimum wage workers are going backwards while the cost of living has risen steeply. Housing costs and groceries have gone up way more than the 7% ACTU is asking for and the raise is essential for workers just to keep their heads above water.”
“While Australia appears to have turned a corner on inflation, it still remains stubbornly high. An arbitrary increase to wages only means inflation and interest rates will remain higher, for longer, meaning more pain for all Australians,” says Andrew McKellar
