Australia: Labor Commission Lifts Minimum Wage

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000987 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/ANP, DRL/IL AND EB STATE PASS TO USTR FOR WEISEL/COEN LABOR FOR ILAB E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ELAB ECON KTDB AS SUBJECT: Australia: Labor Commission Lifts Minimum Wage REF: CANBERRA 944 The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) on June 7 raised the hourly minimum wage by 3.6 percent to A$12.75, or $9.70 per hour (A$1 = US$0.76). The minimum pay for the standard 38 hour work week is now A$484.40, or $368. The raise will affect Australia's 1.6 million lowest paid workers who are covered by federal and state employment contracts, or "awards." The AIRC handed down the increase in what is expected to be its final ruling on the minimum wage because the Government has announced a major package of labor law reforms, including the creation of a Fair Pay Commission to set the minimum wage in future (reftel). STANTON