House votes to support pay rises for workers

The ACTU congratulates the MPs who joined with the Albanese Government to support the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill – the first step towards real pay rises that Australian workers have seen out of the Federal Government in a decade.

The Bill will make workplaces fairer and safer for women while also enabling more women to access and return to work. It will also expand access to bargaining for millions of workers who have been locked out of the process which should be the engine of wage growth in this country.

The ALP was joined by the Greens and independents Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan, Bob Katter and Andrew Wilkie, who have voted to end a decade of flatlining wages and real wage cuts.

Quotes attributable to Sally McManus:

“This Bill is a step towards ending the wage crisis that working people have been battling through for a decade. This Bill will continue the work of making workplaces safer for women and making it easier for women to access and re-enter the workforce.

“We congratulate the Albanese Government for following through on its election commitment to get wages moving and the Greens and independents who have voted to support working people and rejected the scare campaign being run by big business.

“The reality of the campaign being run against this Bill is that for some employers it will never be the right time for a pay rise, and without changes to the bargaining system the wage crisis will continue, with working people forced to continue cutting back.”

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