The Morrison Government has today committed to a "job keeper" wage subsidy scheme that will provide a flat $1500 a fortnight for workers with employers that have suffered a downturn of at least 30% to 50% due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A former CSIRO marine biologist is seeking more than $250,000 in alleged underpayments as part of a sham contracting and "unjust enrichment" case challenging its part-time work arrangements and use of unpaid visiting scientists.
The "exceptional circumstances" created by COVID-19 warrant delaying the operative date of any minimum wage increase by a fortnight to July 15, according to the Ai Group, while the Victorian Government is calling for a rise of at least 3%.
The Morrison Government is expected to soon make long-delayed appointments to the FWC's expert panel, ahead of the annual wage review picking up steam.
Growth in private sector rates of pay excluding bonuses remained stagnant at the end of last year, but continued to outpace inflation, according to ABS data released today.
Bargained wage rises in the private sector dropped to 2.7% a year in the September quarter, according to newly-released Attorney-General's Department data that also shows some large retail employers are starting to tie increases to the FWC's annual review.
An FWC-commissioned study probing the characteristics of low-paid award-reliant workers and their propensity to move to a better paying job has suggested that policymakers need to focus on helping older, less-educated employees to obtain higher incomes.
In a case highlighting the dangers of failing to engage with underpayments cases, an employer who did not respond to a claim it short-changed a teenage worker by $8000 must now pay him an additional $240,000 in penalties.
