UnionsWA has today commented on the release by the Cook Government of a new public sector pay policy which has abolished the cap on public sector wages in WA. Since its launch in June 2021, the Public Sector Alliance, coordinated by UnionsWA, has called for the end to the wages cap and a return to genuine bargaining.

UnionsWA has today commented on the passage by the Federal Parliament of the Closing the Loopholes Bill.

Over 400 union members from the WA public sector workforce today heard from and posed questions of Premier Cook on WA’s State Wages Policy and the pay cap at a mass meeting at Perth Town Hall.

Today in Perth UnionsWA presented evidence to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee in its Inquiry into the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023. Comments below are from UnionsWA Secretary Owen Whittle regarding the rising costs of living in WA and how this leaves working families here particularly exposed by workplace laws biased in favour of employers and low-pay outcomes.

Key WA public sector unions in the education, health, community safety, service and other fields at a mass meeting of elected workplace representatives on the evening of 14 August co-signed a formal alliance agreement.  That agreement will guide joint negotiation and related action seeking to reverse the real decline in public sector workforce pay since 2017 as the State Government reviews its State Wages Policy in the latter part of 2023. On behalf of the group, UnionsWA has released a new analysis of real pay declines across the key public sector occupations.

UnionsWA has responded to the decision today in the WA State Wage Case that awarded a $43.45 per week increase to the Adult Full time WA Minimum Wage, a 5.3% increase which is below overall inflation and well below actual cost of living increases for the low wage workers.

May Day was commemorated today with a festival and march through the streets of Fremantle.  Unionists took the occasion to commit to supporting the Yes campaign in the upcoming Voice to Parliament Referendum.

UnionsWA has responded to the release today of a WorkSafe Inquiry report into work fatalities in WA’s agricultural sector. The WorkSafe Commissioner has also released his response to that report. In 2021-22 twelve WA farmers were killed at work.

UnionsWA has responded to the release today of the Independent Review of WorkSafe Mines Safety report.