The ANMF has filed a work value application seeking a 25% increase for nurses, nursing assistants and personal care workers in residential and home-based aged care after the FWC refused to delay the HSU's work value case to provide more time for collaboration.
The ABS has delivered a small boost to hopes that wages growth might exceed restrained government projections after today's quarterly figures showed an annual lift of 1.5% across the economy.
The RBA has slightly raised its wage growth forecast, noting that it will almost entirely be driven by the private sector as public sector wage caps remain in effect.
Virgin cabin crew have decisively voted up a new deal after trouncing a previous offer, with the FAAA laying out expectations the reborn airline must reward workers for their "sacrifice" when it recovers from the pandemic's hit to its operations.
In a setback for unions fighting a mooted 1.5% pay cap for NSW public servants, the state's Court of Appeal has upheld a decision affirming a 0.3% increase in the 2020-21 financial year, in part because investing in infrastructure would be better than wages in stimulating the economy during the pandemic.
FWC seeks to identify incidence of workplace FDV policies; Casual terms review timetable pushed back; and AiG calls for reduction in minimum pay delays for COVID-hit sectors.
Employer bodies are asking the FWC's minimum way panel to freeze minimum rates, limit any rises to CPI or to follow last year's precedent and postpone any increases.
The ACTU in its submission to this year's minimum wage review will seek a 3.5% increase across all award rates, maintaining that pay growth is crucial for the post-pandemic economic recovery.
Further evidence of the green shoots of a recovery has been provided with today's release of ABS data showing that private sector pay rates excluding bonuses increased by 0.7% seasonally adjusted and 0.5% in original terms in the December quarter.
Ahead of its appearance today before the Senate inquiry into the Omnibus IR Bill, the Centre for Future Work has warned that as Australia experiences an unprecedented period of low pay growth, the legislation's changes "will exert additional downward pressure".
