News & Views
8th January 2018
Annual Wage Review Decision
From 1 July 2017, the national minimum wage (NMW) will be $694.90 per week, or $18.29 per hour. This equates to a 3.3% increase to the NMW.
In the decision made on 6 June 2017, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) took into account economic and social considerations, including an emphasis on the low paid and their living standards. The FWC, in their decision, stated:
“The level of increase we have decided upon will not lead to inflationary pressure and is highly unlikely to have any measurable negative impact on employment. It will, however, mean an improvement in the real wages for those employees who are reliant on the NMW and modern award minimum wages and an improvement in their relative living standards.”
Although there were proposals for the NMW increase not to apply to award minimum wages, the FWC has decided to apply to 3.3% increase to all modern award minimum wages (rounded to the nearest 10 cents).
Draft determinations for modern awards, including the effect the increase may have on allowances and other entitlements, will be formulated over coming weeks and confirmed before the end of the financial year.
For any queries about employees and their rates of pay, contact our Workplace Relations Advisor, Sabina Pola via email or by calling the NECA SA/NT office on (08) 8272 2966.
