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HISTORY OF WAGE INCREASES
The CPI measures quarterly changes in the price of a basket of
goods and services which account for a high proportion of
expenditure by the CPI population group (ie metropolitan wage
and salary earner households). food, clothing, housing, household equipment & operation, transportation, tobacco & alcohol, health & personal care and recreation and education. How to calculate changes in CPI between two periods: All Groups CPI: Weighted average of 8 capital cities Index Nos: Mar quarter 1995 114.7 less Dec quarter 1994 112.8 change in index points 1.9 Percentage change 100 x 1.9 / 112.8 = 1.7% AWE AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS
CPI AWE AWE is average of all wages and salaries 1991 3.2% 5.4% paid in the year, does not include over- 1992 1.0% 3.3% time or penalties. 1993 1.8% 2.1% 1994 1.9% 3.4% 1995 5.1%For details on AWOTE see Workers Compensation Topics. NATIONAL WAGE CASE HISTORYPrior to Enterprise bargaining, wages generally increased by way of National Wage Cases (NWC). All awards moved at the same time. Date Reason Increase 29-08-91 NWC CPI Increase 2.5% 07-08-89 NWC CPI Increase 3.0% or $15.00 01-03-89 NWC CPI Increase $10.00 01-08-88 NWC CPI Increase 3.0% 05-02-88 NWC CPI Increase $ 6.00 01-09-87 NWC CPI Increase 4.0% 10-03-87 NWC CPI Increase $10.00 26-06-86 NWC CPI Increase 2.3% 05-11-85 NWC CPI Increase 3.8% 06-04-85 NWC CPI Increase 2.6% 06-04-84 NWC CPI Increase 4.1% 06-10-83 NWC CPI Increase 4.3%
On 22 April 1997, The Australian Industrial Relations Commission
granted a $10.00 per week wage increase to those who had not
received an increase through bargaining.
The decision will be seen as a turning point in our social
history. We have now adopted the US position of encouraging the
creation of the "working poor". The working poor are workers with
a full time job but are still paid below the poverty line. This
forces the worker to take a second job and/or forces the spouse
to take a job, merely to earn enough to get above the official
poverrty line. On 29 April 1998, The Australian Industrial Relations Commission handed down the Safety Net Review Wages April 1998 decision [Print Q19980].
The IRC granted:
The increase applies to those who had not received an increase
through bargaining since 1 Nov 1991.
On 29 April 1998, The Australian Industrial Relations Commission
handed down the Safety Net Review decision on 1st May 2000.
It granted a $15.00 increase to the minimum wage for full time
employees, raising it from $385.40 to $400.40.
The ACTU had sought an increase of $24.80 per week safety net
increase. |
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