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Annual Wage Review 2011
On Friday 3 June 2011, the Full Bench of Fair Work Australia handed down its Annual Wage Review decision. For the first time in 20 years, the Federal wage-fixing Tribunal handed down a percentage instead of a flat dollar increase. The increase to modern award minimum wages is 3.4 percent, rounded to the nearest 10 cents, effective on the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2011. The Full Bench has awarded the same percentage increase to all transitional Australian Pay and Classification Scales and Division 2B State reference transitional awards. This will affect amongst others, employers in industries which in accordance with the transitional arrangements in the relevant modern award, are still only required to pay pre-modern award rates to their employees. Employers in the social, community and disability services industry are an example of employers affected by the decision to increase transitional instruments. The national minimum wage was also i...
18 June 2011Carly Fielding Promoted to Senior Associate
National Workplace Lawyers is pleased to announce that on 27 May 2011, Carly Fielding was promoted to the position of Senior Associate. Over the past 12 months, Carly has built on already strong relationships with her clients, and has not only shown great technical skill, but the important ability of communicating the law to clients in a very practical way. Congratulations Carly....
3 June 2011The Landmark Equal Remuneration Test Case Continues
On Monday 16 May 2011, the Full Bench of Fair Work Australia handed down part of its decision in the landmark Equal Remuneration Test Case (Equal Remuneration Case; Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union and others [2011] FWAFB 2700 (16 May 2011)). The test case concerns an application for an equal remuneration order under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) for employees of non-government employers in the social, community and disability services industry throughout Australia. The effect of the application is to raise the wages of affected employees above the wage rates in the modern Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010. The Full Bench has determined that an equal remuneration order should be made because there is not equal remuneration for men and women workers in the social and community services industry, for work of equal or comparable value in comparison with workers in the same industry...
2 June 2011