Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05CANBERRA987
2005-06-08 04:23:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Canberra
Cable title:  

Australia: Labor Commission Lifts Minimum Wage

Tags:  PGOV PREL ELAB ECON KTDB AS 
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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