I have been looking at some job adverts and they have listed salary as award wages or above award wages? What does this mean? Are they the equivalent of a minimum wage?
Thanks
Petra
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Petra, Dave and Quianna Crees Appointed Agent 1/4/08 TRA Passed 4/7/08
175 Visa applied for 28/8/08
They might be minimum wage in some cases, but award wages are the wages set by agreement between a union and an employer in an industry award. Nobody HAS to belong to a union, unionism is by and large voluntary except if you're trying to get work in a union dominated industry in which case you'll struggle to work in some places if not a paid up union member.
The fact these awards are referred to in an ad does not mean the employer encourages union mebership or requires it, it is just a benchmark point for reference in terms of indicating salary.
Award wage rates vary by industry sector and skill level/grade. Most people are paid above award rate but not by too much usually if your industry has an award system.