Measly minimum wage increase won’t touch the sides

The measly increase to the minimum wage won’t even touch the sides for already underpaid workers, according to the Public Service Association.

The government has put up the minimum wage by 25 cents, taking it to $13.75.

The PSA represents thousands of home support workers who provide professional care and support to the elderly and disabled yet earn between $13-15 an hour.

“I think everyone recognises that 25 cents is a meaningless increase particularly in the face of rising living costs and it will have little impact for workers who are already struggling to make a living,” says PSA Assistant Secretary Kerry Davies.

Home support workers not only face low wages but also pay inequity.

The government has still given no commitment to act on last year’s Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Equal Employment Opportunities in Aged Care which said funding levels must increase as a matter of urgency to address the low pay and pay inequity facing workers.

The government says it cannot afford to bring pay rates up in the sector but Kerry Davies says increasing the minimum wage to a more sustainable level would be a step in the right direction.

“We need the government to make a more meaningful commitment and prioritise improving the wages of low paid workers rather than giving high income earners millions of dollar in tax cuts,” says Kerry Davies.