Pay rise a win for workers. But there's a long way to go after years of erosion
Retail workers employed on the award rate will see the welcome sight of an additional 3.5 per cent pay in their pay packets from July 1.
For retail workers, it will bring the minimum award rate to $26.55 per hour - the largest above-inflation wage rise since 2019.
It's a win for workers, a win for communities, and it's about time.
Retail workers make up around 10 per cent of the Australian workforce.
They're the ones running the checkouts, packing online orders, managing stockrooms and serving in stores.
Many of them are young. A lot of them are women. And a lot are juggling study, parenting, or starting over in a new country.
For too long, too many of our lowest-paid workers have been doing it tough.
The cost of living has gone through the roof on rent, food, fuel and bills. And for years, wages at the lower end haven't kept up.
The double whammy of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis while working on low wages has left a couple working full time in retail waiting 10 years to save for a 20 per cent deposit on a median-priced home in an Australian capital city.
That's assuming they can even save 20 per cent of their gross income annually, of course.
The Fair Work Commission's recent decision to raise wages by 3.5 per cent, while inflation sits at around 2.1 per cent, won't change cost-of-living pressures overnight it's definitely an improvement.
At a time when too many of our essential workers are struggling to make ends meet, finally seeing an above-inflation boost to their pay is not just welcome, it's vital.
While, of course, we would always love to see our lowest-paid workers given an even bigger pay boost - even though business lobby groups argued for significantly lower pay rises - the reality is that in the current climate, a 3.5 per cent increase is a positive outcome.
It won't fix housing affordability overnight. It won't cover every bill. But it's a step in the right direction.
Fair wages fuel local economies. Every extra dollar in a worker's pocket has a ripple effect, spent by that worker in the local communities and in lots of small businesses.
Investing in workers pays off - not just in productivity, but in stronger, more resilient communities.
The Fair Work Commission has flagged that more needs to be done to repair years of wage erosion. We agree.
This rise is welcome. It's needed. But it's also the minimum. We saw how essential our retail workers are during the pandemic. The least we can do is make sure their pay keeps up with the cost of living.
If you work in retail and you're on the award wage, there's a small but welcome bit of good news this week - your pay just went up.
Retail workers employed on the award rate will see the welcome sight of an additional 3.5 per cent pay in their pay packets from July 1.
For retail workers, it will bring the minimum award rate to $26.55 per hour - the largest above-inflation wage rise since 2019.
It's a win for workers, a win for communities, and it's about time.
Retail workers make up around 10 per cent of the Australian workforce.
They're the ones running the checkouts, packing online orders, managing stockrooms and serving in stores.
Many of them are young. A lot of them are women. And a lot are juggling study, parenting, or starting over in a new country.
For too long, too many of our lowest-paid workers have been doing it tough.
The cost of living has gone through the roof on rent, food, fuel and bills. And for years, wages at the lower end haven't kept up.
The double whammy of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis while working on low wages has left a couple working full time in retail waiting 10 years to save for a 20 per cent deposit on a median-priced home in an Australian capital city.
That's assuming they can even save 20 per cent of their gross income annually, of course.
The Fair Work Commission's recent decision to raise wages by 3.5 per cent, while inflation sits at around 2.1 per cent, won't change cost-of-living pressures overnight it's definitely an improvement.
At a time when too many of our essential workers are struggling to make ends meet, finally seeing an above-inflation boost to their pay is not just welcome, it's vital.
While, of course, we would always love to see our lowest-paid workers given an even bigger pay boost - even though business lobby groups argued for significantly lower pay rises - the reality is that in the current climate, a 3.5 per cent increase is a positive outcome.
It won't fix housing affordability overnight. It won't cover every bill. But it's a step in the right direction.
Fair wages fuel local economies. Every extra dollar in a worker's pocket has a ripple effect, spent by that worker in the local communities and in lots of small businesses.
Investing in workers pays off - not just in productivity, but in stronger, more resilient communities.
The Fair Work Commission has flagged that more needs to be done to repair years of wage erosion. We agree.
This rise is welcome. It's needed. But it's also the minimum. We saw how essential our retail workers are during the pandemic. The least we can do is make sure their pay keeps up with the cost of living.
If you work in retail and you're on the award wage, there's a small but welcome bit of good news this week - your pay just went up.
Retail workers employed on the award rate will see the welcome sight of an additional 3.5 per cent pay in their pay packets from July 1.
For retail workers, it will bring the minimum award rate to $26.55 per hour - the largest above-inflation wage rise since 2019.
It's a win for workers, a win for communities, and it's about time.
Retail workers make up around 10 per cent of the Australian workforce.
They're the ones running the checkouts, packing online orders, managing stockrooms and serving in stores.
Many of them are young. A lot of them are women. And a lot are juggling study, parenting, or starting over in a new country.
For too long, too many of our lowest-paid workers have been doing it tough.
The cost of living has gone through the roof on rent, food, fuel and bills. And for years, wages at the lower end haven't kept up.
The double whammy of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis while working on low wages has left a couple working full time in retail waiting 10 years to save for a 20 per cent deposit on a median-priced home in an Australian capital city.
That's assuming they can even save 20 per cent of their gross income annually, of course.
The Fair Work Commission's recent decision to raise wages by 3.5 per cent, while inflation sits at around 2.1 per cent, won't change cost-of-living pressures overnight it's definitely an improvement.
At a time when too many of our essential workers are struggling to make ends meet, finally seeing an above-inflation boost to their pay is not just welcome, it's vital.
While, of course, we would always love to see our lowest-paid workers given an even bigger pay boost - even though business lobby groups argued for significantly lower pay rises - the reality is that in the current climate, a 3.5 per cent increase is a positive outcome.
It won't fix housing affordability overnight. It won't cover every bill. But it's a step in the right direction.
Fair wages fuel local economies. Every extra dollar in a worker's pocket has a ripple effect, spent by that worker in the local communities and in lots of small businesses.
Investing in workers pays off - not just in productivity, but in stronger, more resilient communities.
The Fair Work Commission has flagged that more needs to be done to repair years of wage erosion. We agree.
This rise is welcome. It's needed. But it's also the minimum. We saw how essential our retail workers are during the pandemic. The least we can do is make sure their pay keeps up with the cost of living.
If you work in retail and you're on the award wage, there's a small but welcome bit of good news this week - your pay just went up.
Retail workers employed on the award rate will see the welcome sight of an additional 3.5 per cent pay in their pay packets from July 1.
For retail workers, it will bring the minimum award rate to $26.55 per hour - the largest above-inflation wage rise since 2019.
It's a win for workers, a win for communities, and it's about time.
Retail workers make up around 10 per cent of the Australian workforce.
They're the ones running the checkouts, packing online orders, managing stockrooms and serving in stores.
Many of them are young. A lot of them are women. And a lot are juggling study, parenting, or starting over in a new country.
For too long, too many of our lowest-paid workers have been doing it tough.
The cost of living has gone through the roof on rent, food, fuel and bills. And for years, wages at the lower end haven't kept up.
The double whammy of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis while working on low wages has left a couple working full time in retail waiting 10 years to save for a 20 per cent deposit on a median-priced home in an Australian capital city.
That's assuming they can even save 20 per cent of their gross income annually, of course.
The Fair Work Commission's recent decision to raise wages by 3.5 per cent, while inflation sits at around 2.1 per cent, won't change cost-of-living pressures overnight it's definitely an improvement.
At a time when too many of our essential workers are struggling to make ends meet, finally seeing an above-inflation boost to their pay is not just welcome, it's vital.
While, of course, we would always love to see our lowest-paid workers given an even bigger pay boost - even though business lobby groups argued for significantly lower pay rises - the reality is that in the current climate, a 3.5 per cent increase is a positive outcome.
It won't fix housing affordability overnight. It won't cover every bill. But it's a step in the right direction.
Fair wages fuel local economies. Every extra dollar in a worker's pocket has a ripple effect, spent by that worker in the local communities and in lots of small businesses.
Investing in workers pays off - not just in productivity, but in stronger, more resilient communities.
The Fair Work Commission has flagged that more needs to be done to repair years of wage erosion. We agree.
This rise is welcome. It's needed. But it's also the minimum. We saw how essential our retail workers are during the pandemic. The least we can do is make sure their pay keeps up with the cost of living.
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