Minimum Wage

[kdal]

Hi All


Well as you may all or all may not be aware or even care LOL, the minimum wage here in the UK is about to go up!

Do they have a Minimum Wage in Australia?????

I know I may get some stick for this but shouldnt you pay someone what you think they are worth?? And is it up to them to take the job on that or not????

This minimum wage is so difficult particularly for small companies, I do understand the reasons behind it but it certainly makes running a small company very difficult if you can afford to at all!

Anyway is there a Minimum Wage in Oz ?????


Regards

[fatpom]

Originally Posted by kdal

Hi All


Well as you may all or all may not be aware or even care LOL, the minimum wage here in the UK is about to go up!

Do they have a Minimum Wage in Australia?????

I know I may get some stick for this but shouldnt you pay someone what you think they are worth?? And is it up to them to take the job on that or not????

This minimum wage is so difficult particularly for small companies, I do understand the reasons behind it but it certainly makes running a small company very difficult if you can afford to at all!

Anyway is there a Minimum Wage in Oz ?????


Regards

Now you've opened a can of worms!!!


There is (no! was) something called the award rate for many occupations. Most people under the awards were paid above award rate... it mainly seemed to protect the vulnerable such as youths & unskilled etc.
Johnny H brought in AWA's (Australian Workplace Agreements) called WorkChoices which are basically a sign here or piss off contract. Its an almost anything goes type arrangement. The libs are about to be crucified at the next election so they've modified them... maybe too little too late.

We'll inevitably see deregulation of working conditions & so a loss for most right up to & including middle mgt.
I'm big enough & ugly enough to look after myself but I'm hoping the process is slow enough not to catch me up all the way to retirement - but 20 more years is probably too long.

[kdal]

Originally Posted by fatpom

Now you've opened a can of worms!!!


Johnny H brought in AWA's (Australian Workplace Agreements) called WorkChoices which are basically a sign here or piss off contract. Its an almost anything goes type arrangement.

....


This type of contract suits my business needs at the moment

..............


We'll inevitably see deregulation of working conditions & so a loss for most right up to & including middle mgt.

..

Yep I got about that long too!! Hang on in there!!!

So am I right in saying that at the moment there is no Minimum wage as such?

[fatpom]

Originally Posted by kdal

..
So am I right in saying that at the moment there is no Minimum wage as such?

Yes I think you are but its a bit up in the air because we're staring down the barrel of an election & one which polls suggest the Libs will be slaughtered.

I think either way we'll see the loss of protection at lower end of the scale pretty soon. The china syndrome will demand it. Much of the traditional business going to China causing knock on to the remaining goods & services

The win for business (reduced labour costs) may well be short lived because peope are becoming more & more ruthless about work. Many of the upper skilled will just go self employed/contracting leaving an unstable & costly skills base. The unskilled will become even more itinerant & business certainty will be lost overall.

Well that's what I think anyway??? We shall see!

[Bobcat]

Originally Posted by fatpom

Yes I think you are but its a bit up in the air because we're staring down the barrel of an election & one which polls suggest the Libs will be slaughtered.

I think either way we'll see the loss of protection at lower end of the scale pretty soon. The china syndrome will demand it. Much of the traditional business going to China causing knock on to the remaining goods & services

The win for business (reduced labour costs) may well be short lived because peope are becoming more & more ruthless about work. Many of the upper skilled will just go self employed/contracting leaving an unstable & costly skills base. The unskilled will become even more itinerant & business certainty will be lost overall.

Well that's what I think anyway??? We shall see!

$528.40 per week is the minimum weekly wage here in WA apparently? It has been revised since I received this flyer.............. it's seemingly gone up another $24 a week.

A minimum wage of of $552-40 per week now............. how does that compare to other States?

I'm a big believer in paying them what I think they are worth.
MEMBER ALERT

20/06/2007

ATTENTION: PRINCIPALS / LICENSEES & BUSINESS MANAGERS

Review of Minimum Wage Arrangements

The Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC) handed down the 2007 State Wage Case on 13 June 2007. The decision only impacts REEFWA members who are not "constitutional corporations" i.e. partnerships, sole traders and non incorporated associations.
The general order provides a $24 per week increase for:

• Adult employees covered by the Minimum Conditionals of Employment Act (MCE Act; and
• Adult rates payable under state awards.

Proportionate increases apply to juniors and trainees.
The increase is operative from the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2007.
The new adult minimum wage prescribed by the MCE Act is $528.40 per week.

[Abi&Dan]

When I was looking into this I noted that 'award' was different between different skills and different states but that universally it wasn't very high (about $6 ph for apprentice plumbers for eg) - but as Fatpom says most jobs offer an 'above award' definition.

These may help give an indication of the amount you might have to live on if you can guess which section you may fall into!!

https://www.workchoices.gov.au/ourpl...mmariesD-F.htm

Salary Information - Latest Pay Rates by Industry at MyCareer

[kdal]

Hi All,

When they say adult what age bracket do they mean 18+ or 21+, so the minimum pay in WA is prob approx $14.50 on a 38 hour week if you can earn $552.40. Is there not an hourly rate? But very confusing as Abi says when she has looked this up in was about $6.00 per hour!! Huge difference, how do they work it out?

Yes it would be interesting to know if other states are any different, do they pay a minimum wage for whatever work you do? Is it an hourly rate?


..

Yep I agree Bobcat with paying someone what I think they are worth. But sometimes when the business is going through a bad time it's not always possible to pay what you would like to pay them. Say if a small company could pay a minimum wage and the person took the job on that offer and then they had a bonus/profit relating to if there was a company profit that year! I know you cant expect this from your Management Team as you have to pay above average for them but for the rest of your crew, particularly the younger ones and those whom havent got the experience. This would certainly help a small business like myself as times can be hard and what with paying the NI and everything else, it's all becoming increasingly difficult.
But anyway thats a different story, but it's interesting to know what they do in Australia and is there a minimum wage?

if anyone knows anything about this in other states then please let us know

Thanks