Agribusiness

Recruitment: FWA’s decision this morning on Minimum Wage + latest Jobs Central listings

Jon Condon 01/06/2012

 

Latest listings on Jobs Central:

  • Station manager, Fort Constantine (Stanbroke)
  • Executive officer, Australian Wagyu Association
  • Senior operations manager, International Livestock Export (Elders)

Click here to view

 

 

Fair Work Australia's minimum wage panel will hand down its decision on this year's minimum wage increase at 10am today in Melbourne.

The full details of the decision will be available through Fair Work Australia (FWA) offices and the tribunal's website. Click here to go to the FWA web page.

With its submission to FWA the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has sought a $26/week increase to the minimum wage and for other low-paid award workers and a 3.8 percent increase for workers on higher paid awards.

The National Farmers Federation has recommended a $10-a-week increase to reflect changes in living costs and other changes in the economic environment such as employment, wages growth, inflation and productivity outcomes. They argued that minimum wages should be set at a level sufficient to encourage labour force participation.

The NFF proposed that a $10/week increase would ensure a basic safety net for vulnerable employees on the minimum wage while enabling unemployed and low paid workers to obtain, and remain in employment. Click here to review the full NFF submission

Other major employer groups are supporting increases of $14-a-week or less. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is pushing for a $9.40 increase, but it says that in some struggling sectors, the rise should be even less than that.

If granted, the ACTU's claim would increase the minimum hourly wage by 68c to $16.19 (full-time rate, up from $15.51) and the weekly wage to $615.30 (up from $589.30).

The ACTU has strongly opposed calls from some employer groups to discount any wage rise because of the tax changes and new or revised transfer payments.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet, in a joint statement last month, said the introduction of a carbon price should not be a factor affecting the minimum wage decision, and that the AiG's view that the real minimum wage should "go backwards" was "concerning" and based on "voodoo economics."

 

 

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