Monday, August 13, 2018

ACTU gathers stories of workers hit hardest by lack of pay rises

13 August 2018
CONTACT DETAILS

Australian unions will be collecting stories from people whose wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, starting today, 13 August.

The latest polling conducted by ReachTel for the ACTU showed four out of five people either didn’t receive a pay rise in the past year, or any wage increase they did get failed to keep up with the rising cost of living.

The poll of 2,453 people found 82 percent believed low wage growth in this country is an important, or the most important issue when deciding their vote at the next election.

Recent research from the Centre for Future Work has shown that the share of wealth in Australia that goes to working people has rarely been lower.

All people contacting the ACTU to share their story will have the option of confidentiality.

From 13-18 August, people can share their stories by calling 1300 486 466, or visiting: https://yourstory.australianunions.org.au/

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

  • “Australia needs a pay rise. Too many people are struggling to keep their head above water.
  • “The cost of living is going up and people are struggling. The voices of many of the people who are struggling with the cost of living aren’t being heard.
  • “We are gathering the stories of people – both union members and non-members – who are being hurt by the broken rules that are preventing people winning fair pay rises.
  • “We need to change the rules so that all working people can secure pay rises that meet the rising cost of living.
  • “Our system is out of balance: big business has too much power and employers can just say no to fair pay rises.
  • “Our current rules are clearly failing the vast majority of working people who report either no increase or inadequate increases in their pay in the last year.
  • “Working people are worried about their wages, meanwhile the Turnbull Government is handing $17 billion to the big four banks. This polling shows how out of touch this government is with ordinary people and the issues that matter.”


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