The Wire

The new Fair Pay commission has been regarded with suspicion by unions . It replaced the old Industrial relations commission and has been seen by many as a tool for employers to limit wage increases. But its first wage decision today has been to raise the federal minimum wage by by 27.36 a week. The decision has dismayed employer groups who would have preferred a figure around 20 at the most. The Australian Hotels Association’s Bill Healy says hotel owners prefer to link wage rises to productivity and described the decision as a blunt instrument. But ACTU Secretary Greg Combet says it’s given workers almost as much as the ACTU had been asking for .