For months we have witnessed Australia’s employer groups lobby the federal government for easier access to foreign workers due to purported crippling labour shortages.
However, when it comes to actually paying more to attract Australian workers into their respective industries, they are firmly opposed.
In the lead-up to yesterday afternoon’s minimum wage decision by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), major employer groups like the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) called for a 1.1% minimum wage increase, which would have represented a real wage cut. Whereas the Master Grocers Australia and the National Farmers’ Federation stipulated no increase.
