ACTU launches new wage claim

The ACTU recently announced it would seek a $26.60 a week wage rise for around 1.6 million award workers in the annual Minimum Wage Case. If successful, the claim will raise Australia’s legal adult minimum wage to $13 an hour. For full time workers this will mean a rise from the current $467.40 a week to $494 a week. The ACTU said deregulation of the labour market is keeping wages very low for award workers while the cost of living continues to rise, however the Australian Industry Group said the wage claim was out of step with Australia's economy. The wage case will be heard in February next year with a decision likely in May 2005.

Qantas strikes averted

Qantas and the Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) recently reached agreement over a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for international flight attendants. The FAAA had threatened industrial action if Qantas failed to negotiate over plans to move 400 international flight attendant jobs to London from mid next year. In a move to pre-empt industrial action, Qantas trained 300 flight attendants on short-term contracts to break any planned strikes, but the two parties reached an agreement that caps the number of flight attendants based overseas at 870 and safeguards their jobs. Qantas was subsequently reviewing its deal with the strike-breakers.