This is to ensure that employers delivered on the wage increase that was promised
After the first pay period since the announcement of a wage increase, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is calling on workers to check their payslips to ensure that their employers delivered on the salary increase.
"If you're on the minimum wage or an award wage, check your payslips. Make sure your employer is passing on the increase from your first full pay period after the 1st of July," said ACTU secretary Sally McManus in a statement.
"Wage growth which keeps pace with the cost of living is the least Australian workers should expect after nearly ten years without a real pay rise, capped off by years of real pay cuts, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis."
The wage increase comes after the government announced in mid-June that the Fair Work Commission has delivered a 5.2% rise in the minimum wage.
"Its decision means an extra $40 a week for full-time workers on the minimum wage or low-paid awards," said the government in a media release.
The increase is expected to benefit many young and female workers, who make up a huge portion of low-paid workers in Australia, according to the government.
"Many of them were on the front line delivering essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic," read the statement. "They deserve more than our thanks. They deserve this pay rise."
Read more: Is Australia’s minimum wage hike a threat to recovery?
Despite this increase, however, ACTU said it does nothing for workers who are experiencing deep real wage cuts after nearly a decade of record low wage growth.
Many of these workers rely on a bargaining system for pay rises, according to ACTU, which described the system as "broken and no longer delivering the wage growth that should be driving economic growth."
"After almost ten years of a government that consistently attacked the ability of workers to organise and bargain, the system is not delivering pay rises, and we need to fix it urgently," said McManus.
The government, now headed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, previously vowed to secure more jobs and better pay workers in the future.
"Our submission to this wage review was simply the first step," said the government in a statement. "The government expects there to be a comprehensive discussion about other ways to get wages moving at the Jobs Summit later this year."
"The Albanese Labor Government is building a better future for all Australians—just as we promised."
