Unions seek dramatic pay increases to ensure minimum ‘living wage'
In light of the 110th anniversary of the landmark court decision which became the basis of the national minimum wage system in Australia, the Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary, Sally McManus, will address the Fair Work Commission with hopes of persuading members of the need to increase the federal minimum wage. McManus hopes to highlight how although a living wage contributes to business interests and the market through giving employees greater purchasing power to contribute to the economy, there is a consistently unbalanced discussion of what form the minimum wage should take. Although lifting many Australians out of poverty and providing them with wages they can realistically subsist and support their families on is a critical social goal, a majority of analysis into what form the minimum wage should take is focused on how a higher wage could negatively affect business competitive advantage and international competitiveness. With Australia having had record low wage growth in the past year and worries of further marginalizing those along the poverty line, concerns regarding providing workers with a living wage are more salient than ever.
See "Unions seek dramatic pay increases to ensure minimum ‘living wage'", Paul Karp, The Guardian, November 1, 2017