Low-paid staff get extra $16

AUSTRALIA’S 1.86 million lowest-paid workers will receive an extra $16 a week, a move that has angered unions.

The Fair Work Commission has awarded a 2.5 per cent wage rise for workers on minimum rates of pay, compared with 3 per cent last year.

Fair Work Commission president Justice Iain Ross said the most significant economic change since last year’s wage review was the reduction in inflation and aggregate wages growth.

The weekly minimum wage will rise by the $16 to $656.90 from July 1. The increase falls below the $27 a week rise the ACTU wanted, but above the $5.70-$10.25 increase argued by business groups.

Australian Retailers Association chief Russell Zimmerman said the increase was a reasonable compromise although he was concerned about job losses if business owners sought to cut costs in response.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said workers would be disappointed. BOYS and their big noisy toys featured prominently at Rotary FNQ Field Days, held in Mareeba last week. The Cairns Post was there to capture all the action of the popular tractor pull, which attracted a record number of entries and pulled huge crowds during the two days. We’ve included a photo spread from the biennial event in Rural Insight from page 29. Also in this week’s edition: the results of the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey are in, and Boer goat breeding is on the rise across the Far North. Picture: STEWART McLEAN