The Fair Work Commission is all but certain to increase minimum and award wages on 1 July – the only question is by how much.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has called for a 7% increase, which would be slightly above the latest inflation reading of 6.8%.
Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), which represents employers, also supports an increase, although it said it would not nominate a specific number until it saw what measures the federal government unveiled in its next budget, on 9 May.
Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said the wage decision “must strike a fair balance” that reflected “the particular pressures that are bearing on low-paid workers in lower-income households” and “the circumstances of employers also struggling with cost pressures”.
The Treasurer also declined to nominate a specific increase commenting in his address
“… recommended the Fair Work Commission ensures the real wages of Australia’s low‑paid workers do not go backwards”.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers