Editor’s note: There were 146 state-wide ballot measures up for consideration by voters in this week’s midterm elections, covering all manner of controversial issues – from abortion and guns to minimum…
Welfare minister Lord Freud under fire for his comments on minimum wage for disabled people.
PA/PA Wire
Lord Freud’s comments that some disabled people were “not worth” paying the full minimum wage – that they are somehow worth less than others – have caused widespread offence. But by bringing the issue…
Australia should be proud of its high minimum wage.
atomicjeep/Flickr
Last week Australia’s Fair Work Commission increased the national minimum wage to A$16.87 an hour from 1 July, 2014. The usual suspects rolled out the usual arguments denouncing this initiative, and Treasurer…
Do you want a living wage with that?
Wisconsin Jobs Now
Low-waged workers in small workplaces are, statistically, the least likely to go on strike. They are unlikely to be unionised, are under close supervision from the boss and are easily replaceable. Traditionally…
The Commission of Audit’s minimum wage recommendation shows no understanding of issues facing the low paid.
'No understanding anytime': artist: Richard Tipping, from the Signed Signs series, Brisbane Powerhouse, 2001.
There was nothing in the Commission of Audit’s terms of reference inviting it to make recommendations on the minimum wage. The Commission was asked to produce a report on “government expenditure”. Yet…
The Commission of Audit made much of the affordability of Australia’s core areas of social spending without any consideration of our social responsibilities.
AAP/Tom Compagnoni
The recommendations in the Commission of Audit’s report, which was released yesterday, would, if implemented, erode the fundamental building blocks of Australia’s social contract. The social contract…
Online labour marketplaces are capitalising on increased numbers of “casualised” workers.
Victor1558/Flickr
Some of the newest enterprises online are those which link workers to anyone who wants a job done. They’re not concerned with employment or jobs but with “tasks”. These are small, one-off, discrete portions…
Millions of workers struggle on the emerging periphery while those at the core enjoy the benefits of stability and skills.
Shutterstock
The Fair Work Commission’s recent wage review may have struck an increased pay deal for low-paid workers but its decision overlooks the growth of a worrying new divide in the Australian workforce. With…
Should we continue to increase the minimum wage, or are there more effective ways to protect low income earners?
Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com
Shortly the Fair Work Commission will announce their decision on the minimum wage for 2013. This will be based on its own research and balancing the claims of employers, unions and others. The ACTU is…
ACTU secretary Dave Oliver has called on the government to increase the minimum wage to combat growing income inequality in Australia.
AAP
The recent Four Corners documentary on poverty in the United States is a salutary reminder of why the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) needs to hold the line on minimum wages in relation to average…
President Obama has proposed raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9, reigniting the debate about the effect of a wage hike on unemployment.
flickr\brianwallace
In his State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama reignited a perennial debate in his proposal to increase the minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 an hour to $9.00 an hour. Advocating…
Fair Work Australia’s annual wage determination takes effect today. Importantly, we’re set to see award wages rise not by a single dollar sum, as in the past, but by 3.4%. This goes someway to addressing…