Australia’s lowest paid workers will from today see the real value of their wages rise above WorkChoices-levels for the first time since 2006.
About 1.4 million workers will begin receiving an extra 3.4% in their pay packet, helping them and their families keep pace with the rising cost of living, say unions.
The workers in question are the one in six Australian workers dependent on awards who will receive a 3.4% wage rise from the start of the new financial year beginning today.
They include about 100,000 on the National Minimum Wage of $589.30 a week.
ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said under WorkChoices, minimum wages declined in real terms by up to $84 a week, culminating with a wage freeze in 2009.
"The Howard Government’s Fair Pay Commission was anything but fair," Mr Lawrence said.
"It was not required to take fairness into account when setting wages – its job was to restrain minimum wage growth.
"And it was very successful: between 2006 and 2009, the Fair Pay Commission granted wage increases that were below the rate of inflation. Award wages went backwards, by as much as 8%.
"That's now been rectified, but the gap between minimum wages and average earnings remains significant.
"That would all be at risk again under a Liberal Government."
