With the election of the new Albanese Labor Government came a number of promises for aged care, including a submission to the Fair Work Commission in support of a pay rise for workers.
Unfortunately, with the Commission’s previously-expected July decision so close, and falling so soon after the election, the new Government hasn’t had a lot of time to get its submission in – so the deadline has been extended to 8 August, with unions and peak bodies able to file responses to the submission until 17 August ahead of fresh public hearings on 24 and 25 August.
After this, the first two days of September have been set aside for in-person hearings on submissions by peak bodies and responses to those submissions, meaning the Fair Work Commission won’t hand down a decision on the unions’ requested wage increases – up to 25 per cent – until September or October at the earliest.
While the Government can’t force the Commission to increase wages, its submission will carry a lot of weight, hopefully making it more likely that workers will get a decent pay boost… they’ll just have to wait a little longer to see it.
