The ACTU will today unveil a claim for a 6% increase in the national minimum wage, which would translate to an extra $43 a week for Australia's lowest-paid workers.
The Fair Work Commission today reaffirmed its view that modest and regular minimum wage increases won't sabotage a robust employment landscape, representing this year's 3.5% hike as an "opportunity to improve relative living standards of the low-paid".
The Fair Work Commission has this morning granted award-reliant workers a 3.5% increase, lifting the national minimum wage by $24.30 a week or 64 cents an hour in this year's annual wage review ruling.
The Fair Work Commission will hand down the 2018 minimum wage review decision at 11am tomorrow, after the ACTU pushed for a substantial rise as a step towards its goal to lift the safety net to 60% of median earnings.
The Turnbull Government has used its submission to the annual wage review to reinforce its argument that minimum wage increases threaten jobs, despite the Fair Work Commission finding in last year's review that "modest and regular increases" do not produce "disemployment" effects.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for this year's minimum wage increase to be no higher than 1.9% or about $13.20 a week, after taking into account the impact on small and regional businesses.
Employer groups have began to push back against union and Labor support for a "living wage", with ACCI arguing it would cost between $4.8 billion and $7.9 billion per year.
ACTU leader Sally McManus is set to begin campaigning for major changes to minimum wage-setting, including tying it to a proportion of the median wage, along the lines of the UK's model.
