The Albanese Labor Government’s approach to workplace relations is delivering incredible results, with nearly half a million more workers covered by enterprise agreements and award workers benefiting from $10,000 pay rises.

We said our Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws would fix the bargaining system and now we’re seeing the proof:

• The Fair Work Commission approved 1,022 enterprise agreements in the first quarter of 2024, new Department of Employment and Workplace Relations figures to be released today show.  That’s well up from the same time period the year before, just after our Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws passed the Parliament.
• Agreements approved in the March quarter of 2024 covered 364,996 employees: the highest number of employees covered by newly-approved agreements in over a decade.
• There were 2.14 million people covered by a current enterprise agreement in the March quarter of 2024 - around 480,000 more workers since Labor came to government.

Peter Dutton and his Liberals voted against Secure Jobs, Better Pay saying our laws would “close down Australia”.

He was dead wrong. Our laws have revitalised the bargaining system, meaning employers and employees are back at the table negotiating agreements that benefit both sides.

It means employers are getting better productivity – and workers are getting pay rises.

At the same time industrial action has plummeted. Days lost to industrial action was seven times higher in the last quarter of the Morrison Government than it is now.

The Government’s decision to advocate on behalf of low-paid workers in three consecutive FWC Annual Wage Reviews has also delivered astounding results:

• There has been a $5.30 per hour average increase in full-time award workers’ earnings in our first term
• That’s an extra $200 per week – or $10,400 per year before tax
• We have overseen a $3.77 per hour increase in the minimum wage in our first term
• For a full time minimum wage worker that’s an extra $143 per week – or $7451 a year before tax
• A full-time minimum wage worker’s annual salary has gone from $40,175 to $47,627 in just over two years

This is what happens when you have a Government that goes in to bat for low-paid workers. When you show up at the Commission and advocate for people who are doing it tough you get results.

We’ve delivered these wage increases while keeping unemployment at record lows and getting inflation to moderate.

We know people are under pressure – and pay rises are a tangible way the Government is helping. Just imagine how much worse things would be for families if they Liberals had their way and these pay rises never happened.

It took the Coalition their entire wasted decade in office to lift the minimum wage by as much as we have in our first term.

That’s because the previous Liberal and National Government never once argued for a rise in the minimum wage.

They wanted to keep wages low – and that’s one of the few promises they actually delivered on.

Peter Dutton wants Australians to work longer for less. Labor wants workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn.

FURTHER BACKGROUND

• The minimum wage will increase by 3.75 per cent – or $33.10 per week - on Monday.
• The minimum wage will now be $24.10 per hour – up from $20.33 when the Albanese Labor Government took office.
• Over the three Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Reviews since the 2022 election we have seen minimum wage increases of 5.2%, 8.6% and now 3.75%.
• 2.6 million workers on the minimum wage and awards are directly benefiting from these increases.

As at 28 June 2024.