Election 2022: Put up or pay up, Scott Morrison warned on wages by ACTU

Sally McManus attacks Scott Morrison for not supporting a 5.1 per cent minimum wage increase.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese says he would welcome any Fair Work Commission decision to ‘not cut real wages and keep up with the cost of living’. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has attacked Scott Morrison for not supporting a 5.1 per cent minimum wage increase for low-paid workers as the pay of politicians continued to rise.

As Anthony Albanese maintained that a Labor government would support a minimum wage rise in line with inflation, Ms McManus said the Prime Minister should explain why he opposed a $1-an-hour rise for the nation’s low-paid workers.

While the average Australian worker lost $800 in real terms last year and was projected to lose $2000 in the first half of 2022, she said Mr Morrison was paid $550,000 a year and the base pay of politicians increased 30 per cent over the past 10 years.

“Scott Morrison should explain to workers that rely on the Annual Wage Review for pay rises why they don’t deserve even a fraction of the wage growth he has enjoyed over the last 10 years,” she said.

“This government is happy to watch their own wages keep climbing, but won’t lift a finger to help Australian workers.

“Working people deserve a prime minister and a government that will put their interests first, rather than only looking out for themselves.”

Mr Albanese insisted on Thursday that Labor had been “absolutely consistent” on minimum wage increases.

Asked by The Australian whether he was misleading voters by saying he “absolutely” supported a minimum wage hike in line with inflation but then walking away from formally submitting the 5.1 per cent figure to the independent Fair Work Commission, he said: “Not at all. We have been absolutely consistent.

“I said consistently, one of the themes of this campaign – and I don‘t know if people have been paying attention out there – is cost of living. Everything is going up except for wages.

“The idea that we would support a real wage cut for people on the minimum wage is, I think, the extraordinary claim.”

Mr Albanese said formal submissions to the independent tribunal would be open until June 7.

“What I have said consistently, and will each and every day, is that the Fair Work Commission operates independently of the government … if the (FWC) makes a decision to not cut real wages and keep up with the cost of living, that is something that I would welcome and I welcome it absolutely,” he said.