Unions demand Australian workers on awards get pay rise to match inflation trends now
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Union bosses are pushing for millions of workers to receive a pay rise of at least seven per cent to keep up with inflation.
There are calls for 2.8 million Australian employees who are employed on the minimum wage or award rates to receive 'catch up' raises as inflation soars to 7.8 per cent.
But experts say such steep increases could actually negatively impact workers by forcing businesses to slash hours and cut jobs.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during his election campaign that he supported pay rises in line with inflation to protect the nation's lowest paid workers.
Now, union bosses are calling on him to stand by those convictions.
A seven per cent pay rise on the national minimum hourly wage of $21.38 would put an additional $1.40 in a worker's pocket, taking the new minimum wage to $22.87.
For a full time employee on minimum wage, this would account for an extra $56 per week, or $868.84.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary Steve Murphy told The Australian: 'At a bare minimum, workers
