http://www.smh.com.au/breaking/19990427/A56806-1999Apr27.shtml Aust workers receiving lower wage rises: study Source: AAP | Published: Tuesday April 27 4:01:04 PM Australian workers are receiving lower wage rises through enterprise bargaining, according to the latest study of major new federal agreements by HSBC Australia. The average annualised wage increase of major new federal agreements rose by an estimated 3.5 per cent in the March quarter, according to the HSBC Wages Report. The preliminary result was down from 4.4 per cent for agreements reached in the December quarter. HSBC economist Grant Fitzner said the result, together with some major agreements paying increases of two per cent per annum or less, suggests lower inflationary expectations are becoming more firmly entrenched in the wage bargaining process. But Mr Fitzner also said the "significant minority" of agreements resulting in rises of two per cent or less may suggest that low paid workers are losing bargaining power in negotiating agreements. "A lot of these employees who are accepting what are obviously very low increases tend to be young, or women or casual employees," Mr Fitzer said. "That's surprising in a way because those employees are getting less than they would under the safety net, unless of course they're getting other trade-offs like improved leave and so forth as well as a straight wage increase. Last May, the Industrial Relations Commission awarded so-called safety net rises of between $10 and $14 per week to low paid workers. "It's surprising because you would have thought the safety net would have set a floor for wage bargaining at around the two per cent mark roughly." The survey results are based on 10 major agreements covering approximately 35,000 employees, HSBC said. "Seven major new private sector agreements covered around 30,750 employees and averaged (a wage rise of) 3.5 per cent per employee, down from 3.7 per cent in Q4 and 3.9 per cent in Q3," the report said. "Three major new public sector agreements covered just 4,600 employees and averaged 3.3 per cent per employee." HSBC said the number of agreements appears to reflect the lower pace of agreement-making in the March quarter, with bargaining rounds in several key sectors concluded, and new rounds yet to begin or not yet at certification stage. -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
