One fifth of the Australian workforce will receive a 5.75% hourly wage increase from 1 July. The Fairwork Commission announced today its decision on the minimum wage, which now stands at $23 and 22 cents from the now $21.38. She also proceeded with a restructuring of the wage scale which saw around 180 thousand workers changing category from C14 to C13, resulting in an increase of 8.6%.
For all other workers, the increase is 5.75%.
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The unions, by and largge, welcomed today's decision by the Fairwork Commission to increase the minimum wage by 5.75%. Sally McManus, ACTU's secretary welcomed the increase saying that the 5.75% raise in the minimum wagy will bring some relief to workers who've been the hardest hit by the raising cost of living. She stressed, however, that 5.75% is below the 7% demanded by the trade unions — with 7% drawn from the inflation rate.
Employers argued that today's decision to raise the minimum wage would lead to an increase in the cost of running a business.
Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that raising the minimum wage might affect the ability to recruit staff while adding 12.6 billion to the cost of businesses and made particular references to small businesses.
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