Award wage increases have responded to rather than contributed to higher price inflation, and although the tight labour market has brought higher pay growth, it is "not enough to be a threat to slowing price inflation", according to a leading labour market economist.
University research commissioned by the FWC has identified 29 "large, highly feminised" and probably undervalued occupations covered by 13 modern awards that it might spotlight in the current annual wage review, in response to the Secure Jobs' imperative to address unequal remuneration and gender undervaluation in minimum rates of pay.
The RBA says several new early indicators it has developed in-house are helping it to build a "fuller view" of wage movements ahead of the release of official figures.
A FWC full bench has confirmed that it can only approve enterprise agreements that include rates of pay, because their absence prevents it determining whether the deal passes the BOOT.
The Albanese Government's legislation to empower the FWC to set minimum standards for "employee-like" gig economy workers will apply only to work performed through digital labour platforms, Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke will reveal in a speech to the National Press Club tomorrow.
The Australian Public Service Commission has tabled a revised APS pay offer that lifts total increases from 10.5% over three years to 11.2% and makes a 2.29% "re-alignment payment" for employees in some agencies as part of a shift to service-wide common dates for wage rises.
In figures that don't align with the RBA's warnings about a wage-price spiral, new ABS figures show private sector rates of pay excluding bonuses are rising at an unchanged 3.8% a year.
The income and compensation caps for unfair dismissal claims are set to increase on Saturday, along with filing fees for a range of other applications.
The ACTU is calling on the Albanese Government to make it easier for those "misclassified" as casuals to recover their full entitlements, with its research showing casual workers earn nearly 11% less than permanent employees of the same skill level or occupation and most are in long-term arrangements.
