Unions in Australia push for 5% minimum wage raise
- Claire Lee
Unions in Australia will be pushing for a 5% increase in the minimum wage to A$21 (US$15.70) an hour this year, in hopes that this would help workers cope with the increase in living costs.
A 5% increase “is what is needed for Australian workers to keep their heads above water, with inflation and the cost of living rapidly rising”, said Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Sally McManus.
The ACTU is pushing for the minimum wage rate to increase to A$21.35 (US$15.96) an hour, up from A$20.33 (US$15.22) an hour.
“The biggest, and most immediate action the Prime Minister can take is backing this increase and arguing alongside us in the Fair Work Commission that this increase is what workers need and deserve,” said McManus.
Last year’s minimum wage rise was just 2.5 per cent, below CPI for 2021-22 of 3.8 per cent. The ACTU also highlighted that the average worker saw real wage cuts of A$800 (US$598) last year and will see real wage cuts of A$500 (US$374) in the first six months of this year based on budget forecasts.
