A Federal Government plan to scrap the annual minimum wages case would mean a reduction in the living standards for working Australians and their families says the ACTU.Greg Combet told the AIRC today
"Overall employment in Australia grew by 13% since 1996 but in industries with a high proportion of minimum wage workers like accommodation, cafe and restaurants, and health and community services, employment grew by more than 30%.
These productivity and employment gains have occurred in a period where the ACTU has achieved an increase in minimum wages of $118 a week. The facts show that real wage increases for Australia's low paid workers has not cost jobs or stifled productivity.
There is no justification for the Howard Government's plans to change the way minimum wages are set. It is disgraceful that the Government would try to use its Senate majority to attack the basic rights and living standards of working Australians.
The ACTU is seeking a guarantee from the Prime Minister that the real value of minimum wages in Australia will be maintained after the Government takes control of the Senate."
| Minimum wages | Hourly | Weekly | Annual |
| Now (April 2005) | $12.30 | $467 | $24,370 |
| If ACTU claim for 2005 succeeds | $13.00 | $494 | $25,757 |
| If Howard Govt has its way | $10.45 | $397 | $20,699 |
For more information: http://www.actu.asn.au/public/campaigns/minimumwages.html
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