TWO wages cases at state and federal levels have put the spotlight firmly on minimum wage rates for the community sector.
TWO wages cases at state and federal levels have put the spotlight firmly on minimum wage rates for the community sector.
Last month, Fair Work Australia ruled in favour of a push by the Australian Services Union for equal pay for public and non-government human services providers, and will hand down a decision in September on what the award rate should be after industry submissions and another hearing.
Unions in Western Australia are pushing for an increase to community sector wages through the annual Industrial Relations Commission’s award rate for employees covered by the WA industrial relations system. The decision will be made by July 1.
The state award rates under the industrial relations system only apply to people not on a collective agreement and working for unincorporated small businesses or in state public services.
“The Chamber of Commerce is asking for a less than 2 per cent wage increase for people on minimum wages and the government is saying 2.75 per cent. It is way less than what people are getting in the general wage movements in the general community,” UnionsWA secretary Simone McGurk said.
Community Employers WA chief executive James Lawton said the systems were extremely complicated, with some community sector organisations falling under the ruling of Fair Work Australia and others coming under state award rates.
Still others were funded by the federal government but fell under state awards, and vice versa.
A total of $1 billion was allocated in the recent state budget for the community sector, and UnionsWA is pushing for certainty from government that the money will be allocated for wage increases for community sector workers.
While UnionsWA is pushing for certainty that some of the state government funding for the sector goes to increased wages, Mr Lawton saw the other side of the coin.
“The government did not dictate or specify what amount would go to wages and what would go to services. They couldn’t, they recognised the sovereignty of services to use the money as they thought best,” Mr Lawton said.