The Greens have declared they will push for additional pay rises for workers on the minimum wage and those in women-dominated industries in exchange for supporting any legislative proposals stemming from the government's jobs summit.
Key points:
- The Greens want the minimum wage set at 60 per cent of the full-time adult median salary
- Adam Bandt warns any deal reached at the jobs summit could become a "historical footnote" without his party's support
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he hopes a "spirit of collaboration and cooperation" continues through the jobs summit and afterwards
The minor party says it will try to change the Fair Work Act in the Senate, so the Fair Work Commission gradually boosts the minimum wage to 60 per cent of the full-time adult median salary.
It also wants to increase pay packets for workers in industries with large numbers of women like nursing, teaching, social work and aged care, by putting forward an amendment to ensure award rates rise by at least half a per cent above inflation.
Both measures were proposals Greens leader Adam Bandt took to the last election.
His party now holds 12 key votes in the upper house of federal parliament and the Greens are attending the government's jobs summit, while the Liberal Party has rejected an invitation, labelling the gathering a stunt.
"Unless the government wants to work with the union-busting Liberals, any legislation that comes out of deals made at the summit is going to need the Greens' support," Mr Bandt said.
"So, any side deal that doesn't have the Greens' backing, may end up becoming an interesting historical footnote."
Greens' backing calls for bargaining changes
The Greens are broadly supportive of calls from the Australian Council of Trade Unions for the summit to look at the so-called care economy.
The party also agrees there needs to be immediate action to deal with skills and labour shortages and discussion on how to fix enterprise bargaining.
But Mr Bandt argues that, for the summit to be a success, the Government has to look at ways of very quickly boosting wages so workers can make ends meet as the cost of living rises.
"It's important to have a discussion about skills and productivity but we can't lose sight of the fact that people need a wage rise now," the Greens leader said.
"Government must lift wages now. Not in three years.
"One of the ways the Government can deal with this and deal with it right now is to change the law to lift wages and we've got to lift it from the bottom up."
In July, the minimum wage increased 5.2 per cent, from $20.33 to $21.38 per hour, and award minimums went up 4.6 per cent.
Unions had pushed for a 5.5 per cent increase to the minimum wage, while industry and business groups had urged much more modest rises, claiming big wage rises posed a risk to the economy.
At the time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the minimum wage increase was vindication of his call during the election campaign that low-paid workers should not go backwards in real terms and that he absolutely backed a wage rise in line with inflation.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Friday said he welcomed all the ideas that were being proposed ahead of the jobs summit, declaring he hoped people would be willing to compromise during and afterwards.
"There are a whole range of really terrific ideas that people have floated," Mr Chalmers said.
"There won't be unanimous agreement around any of those, but let's see if we can find some common ground.
"We want people to be able to provide for themselves and their loved ones and get ahead. The best way for that to happen is for people to get sustainable and decent wages growth. So that's our high priority when it comes to the jobs and skills summit."
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2022-08-26 14:02:22Z
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