Wages for tradies has been a hot topic this week as the Fair Work Commission undertakes its annual wage review.
Some unions have called on increases for apprentices, while many have taken to the streets to voice their growing concerns on the matter.
The Electrical Trades Union of Australia (ETU) said many apprentices don’t benefit from the $40 a week increase in award rates implemented last year. This is because of how their pay is calculated.
“Our nation’s electrical apprentices get paid below the minimum wage and are among the hardest hit by cost of living pressures,” ETU Acting National Secretary Michael Wright said.
“They are struggling to even put petrol in the car to get to site, let alone pay for the increased rent and food costs to survive.”
“Many apprentices are pocketing barely half of the minimum $40 rise to weekly pay packets since last year.
“This must be rectified and backdated, or we risk these apprentices dropping out of the trade forever.”
Tradies protest wages
Thousands of tradies hit the streets of Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Cairns on Wednesday to protest their wages. The protests coincided as another major construction company Porter Davis went under, furthering concerns over how Fair Work Australia handles such massive closures.
Many protestors in Melbourne carried CFMEU flags and wore CFMEU shirts, with the union a major critic of the Fair Work Ombudsman.