Worksite

The national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour.

This is the minimum hourly rate you can be paid for the work you do, regardless of your job or industry.

Anything below the minimum wage is illegal – unless you:

• are younger than 21 years old
• are on an apprenticeship or a traineeship
• have a disability that reduces your capacity to work

In these cases, the pay rates are a percentage of the minimum wage ( (so like, 70% or 80% etc).

Pay rises don’t just happen. They’re won!

Union members are the biggest reason why the minimum wage goes up – and why we have one of the highest minimum wages in the world.

In Australia, our minimum wage is set by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), an independent government body.

Every year, the FWC reviews the minimum wage – and the minimum rates of pay in awards – and decides how much they should increase.

This is called the Annual Wage Review, and the process takes place from March to June.

Every year, union members argue (on behalf of nearly three million workers who rely on these wages) for a fair increase that keeps up with the cost of living.

When a decision is made, the new minimum wage comes into effect from 1 July each year.

‘Junior rates’ apply for workers who are younger than 21 years old on the minimum wage.

Some awards also have junior wages for workers under 21.

In both cases, it means that the pay rates for workers under 21 are a percentage of the full adult rates (so like, 70% or 80% etc).

But the good news is that union members recently had a big win, which means workers age 18+ in retail, fast food and pharmacy will start to get paid full adult wages!

An award is a legally enforceable document that sets minimum terms and conditions for your job; like the rates of pay, leave entitlements and hours of work.

There are over 100 awards covering different industries, like retail, fast food, and hospitality. Which means most workers are covered by one.

An agreement (sometime EA or EBA) is also a document which sets out minimum employment conditions (including pay), but usually only for one workplace.

Agreements are literally written ‘deals’ made between employers and workers (represented by the union members) about the terms and conditions of working there.

Agreements must offer better conditions for the workers than the relevant award (that would otherwise apply to the workers, if the agreement didn’t exist) – which is why having an agreement at your workplace is the best way to get decent pay and conditions!

Wage theft is when your boss deliberately doesn’t pay you what you’re legally entitled to.

It includes not paying penalty rates for weekends or public holidays, skipping overtime, not paying superannuation, making you work through breaks unpaid, or paying a flat rate regardless of when you work.

One in five workers under 25 are victims of wage theft. Thanks to union campaigns, wage theft is now a criminal offense with major penalties – employers face up to 10 years jail and millions in fines.

If you think you’re being underpaid, contact your union!

Unions were started by workers to give workers a stronger voice.

When workers come together as a union (when you ‘join’ your union you become a union ‘member’), we have more power to fight for better pay and conditions, than trying to fight on our own.

That’s why union members earn more and have stronger safety standards at work.

Any job, any industry – there’s a union for you.

The quickest way to join is via our join form, which will guide you through finding your union.

Or call us on 1300 486 466, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm (AEST).

Nope.

Everyone in Australia has the right to be a union member.

Your employer cannot discriminate against you or prevent you from joining, or from seeking help from your union.

Yeah, we do!

Research shows that workers who are union members take home $250 more per week than non-members.

In fact, being a union member leads to higher pay, no matter how you’re employed or how old you are…

Casual workers who are union members earn a whopping $11 more per hour than casuals who have not joined their union!

And workers aged 15-24 years who are union members earn nearly $6 more per hour than non-members.

Remember: when you hear that “union members earn more than non-members”, it doesn’t mean that a union member will automatically get paid more.

It means that generally union members have higher wages than non-members, and workplaces or industries with lots of union members generally have higher pay.

Which is why joining your union (and your workmates joining too!) is the key to getting paid more.

Generally, casual and part-time workers can expect to pay around $28 for the first month of membership.

Ongoing union membership fees vary according to each union, and how many hours you’re working each week.

For more info on union fees, call us on 1300 486 466.

Best of all, 100% of union membership fees are tax deductible!

That means that if you earn above $18,200 per finanical year (so above the tax-free threshold), your union fees are a work-related expense that you can claim as a deduction to reduce your total taxable income.

Here’s why it’s worth it: when workers stick together, we negotiate better deals. More members = more power at the table.

So if you want better pay throughout your career, joining your union is the smartest move.

Union members have won so many of the rights we have at work today, including:

• Annual leave and sick leave
• Weekends
• Penalty rates and overtime pay
• Wage theft protections

… and heaps more!