Unions
will today be reminding Australian workers to check they are not missing out on
wage increases which should have automatically come into effect at the start of
the new financial year.
ACTU
President Ged Kearney said unions have declared Friday, 12 July as National
“Check Your Pay Day” to educate workers about the new annual pay rates which
flow on from the effects of an increase in the minimum Award wages.
Workers
with any doubts about whether they are being paid correctly can call the free
advice service on 1300 4 UNION (1300 4 86466).
From 1 July,
about 1.5 million workers have been granted an extra 2.6% in their wages,
helping them and their families keep pace with the rising cost of living,
following the annual wage review by Fair Work Australia.
They include
about 100,000 on the minimum wage, who will receive an extra $15.80 a week
extra, taking their weekly wage to $622.20
a week, or $16.37 an hour.
Ms
Kearney said that for these workers, the Fair Work Australia Annual Wage
Review is their only chance of a pay rise.
“Now
that the minimum wage has gone up, all workplace agreements and contracts will
need to be checked to make sure that the rates of pay stay above the legal
minimum,” Ms Kearney said.
“This
means that some workers on workplace agreements or over-award contracts will be
entitled to a pay rise, because the award rate is the absolute minimum an
employer can pay a worker.
“By
now, most employees should have received their first pay slip of the new
financial year, and they should check their wages against the legal minimum
rates to ensure they are not being underpaid.”
Many
workers on union-negotiated collective agreements should also receive an annual
pay rise from the start of the new financial year.
“Unions
encourage all workers to check their pay because we unfortunately cannot rely
on all employers to automatically adjust wages in line with the minimum wages
increase,” Ms Kearney said.
“We
understand that the system can be complicated for workers to navigate, so we
are urging workers to call our Australian Unions helpline on 1300 4 UNION (1300
4 86466) if in doubt to get expert advice on what you should be paid –
and what you should do if your pay is incorrect.”
