ACTU wants govt to back minimum wage bid

The ACTU is pushing for a $30-a-week pay rise for Australia's lowest paid workers. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S peak union body wants the federal government to back its push for the country's lowest paid workers to get a $30 a week wage boost.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions will ask Fair Work Australia to increase the national minimum wage to $636.40 a week, benefiting 745,000 workers.

It equates to a 79 cent-an-hour increase from $15.96 to $16.75 per hour.

But Employment Minister Bill Shorten said the government would only support a more modest increase.

"I believe that the union claim is at the high end," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said he expected a Labor government to support the lowest-paid workers and the increase was justified.

"As of today, the minimum wage is less than half of what average weekly earnings are," he said.

"What we're concerned about is that we will end up with an underclass of workers, or a working poor."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott gave qualified support to the wage push, saying he didn't begrudge workers a pay rise.

"So I would want to look very carefully at the particular circumstances of businesses before saying yes, let's have an across the board rise," he told reporters in Melbourne.

However, his treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said Australia's current minimum wage was a barrier to higher employment participation.

"What it means is it's harder to get entry into the workforce," he told Fairfax Radio.

"It means that employers are having second thoughts about employing people."

Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox described the claim as "way out of the ball park".

Ai Group is proposing a two per cent increase in total remuneration for those on the minimum wage, amounting to a rise of about $12 on the minimum weekly wage.

Mr Willox said businesses were struggling to cope with high costs and the high Australian dollar.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

ACTU wants govt to back minimum wage bid

Dengan url

http://suarabisikan.blogspot.com/2013/03/actu-wants-govt-to-back-minimum-wage-bid.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

ACTU wants govt to back minimum wage bid

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

ACTU wants govt to back minimum wage bid

sebagai sumbernya