Australian unions this week lodged a 5% wage claim with the Fair Work Commission, kicking off the 2026 Annual Wage Review. It's a claim workers have earned — and one the evidence demands. What's being claimed? The ACTU's claim would lift the minimum wage to $26.19 per hour, adding $2,465 a year to bring the full-time annual rate to $51,761. The claim directly affects nearly 3 million workers whose pay is set by awards and it sets the wage floor that flows through to millions more. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus has made clear that 5% is a starting position, not a ceiling. Unions are reserving the right to increase the claim ahead of Fair Work Commission hearings, with McManus warning that workers cannot be allowed to fall further behind as global instability continues to drive up prices. Why 5%? Because workers are already behind. This claim is grounded in the numbers. Wages grew just 3.4% in the year to December 2025, below inflation for the same period of 3.8%. The Reserve Bank now forecasts inflation will reach 4.2% by June. Without a real pay rise, that is one that outpaces inflation, workers' living standards go backwards again. Many low-paid workers are still catching up from the post-COVID inflation surge, and a typical full-time award wage worker would be nearly $2,500 a year better off today if wages had kept pace with inflation since mid-2021. Rents are climbing. Petrol is above $2.40 a litre and still increasing. Interest rates have risen twice this year. The cost-of-living pressure on Queensland workers is real and a 5% minimum wage rise is the most direct lever available to start closing the gap. What about employers' claims that wage rises cause inflation? Employer lobby groups, led by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are pushing a much lower 3.5% increase, arguing that above-inflation pay rises add to price pressures. The union movement has rejected this outright. McManus said there is no evidence that increases in the minimum wage or award wages have had any impact on inflation, and that a 5% boost for lower-paid workers would add just 0.6% to the national wage bill. Meanwhile, the entire cost of our wage claim is less than BHP's recent $8 billion half-yearly profit. What has actually driven inflation, the ACTU argues, is housing costs and price-gouging by fuel and energy companies. Not workers' wages. What happens next? Initial submissions to the Annual Wage Review closed this week. The Fair Work Commission will hold hearings before handing down its decision in June. Together and union members across the ASU will be backing the ACTU's claim every step of the way. Minimum and award wage increases set the floor under every worker's pay, strengthen our bargaining position, and send a clear signal about what Australian workers are worth. A good outcome is worth fighting for. This is our fight — and it's winnable. This AWR decision affect workers everywhere. It directly affects the millions of workers who cannot bargain for better wages. It also affects Queensland Public Sector workers. If you want to find out more how the Fair Work Commission's decision affects your pay - read the blog here. Have questions about how the Annual Wage Review affects your pay or enterprise agreement? Check the member portal or talk to your Together delegate.
The full recording can now be viewed by members here. Don't miss your first wages update of 2026 — register now! 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for wages. The Australian Union movement is targeting above-inflation wage increases for workers across the country and Queensland public service workers are right at the centre of that fight. The Fair Work Commission's decision on wages later this year will play an increasingly important role in setting the benchmark for your pay rises this year, so staying informed has never been more important. That's why we're hosting our first wages update session of the year. It's a chance for members to hear what factors are at play this year that will affect your wages. Join us: Thursday 26 February at 1pm In this session, you'll get an update on where wage negotiations are at for Queensland public service workers, what the ACTU's push for above-4% increases means for your enterprise agreement, and how members like you can play an active role in winning better outcomes. Real wages growth doesn't happen by accident — it happens when workers are organised, informed, and ready to act together. Register below to secure your spot. Registration is open to Together members. Register below to secure your spot and once you're registered, we'll send you everything you need to join the session on the day. Not a member yet? Join Together today to get access to this session and all the support, advice, and collective power that comes with membership. If you can't see the registration form below, log on using your Member Portal details. If you don't know your log in details, go here. The full recording can now be viewed by members here.
Union members like you called on decision-makers to pass this Bill to make it simpler and fairer for working people to bargain for better workplace conditions. And on 2 December, we won. For too long, workers have been restricted by an overly complex bargaining system, making it harder to join together and improve pay and conditions. We need better workplace laws to even the balance for workers. Passing this Bill is a step in the right direction. The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill will: Get wages moving again by modernising our bargaining laws, making it simpler and fairer to negotiate for better pay and conditions and banning job ads below the minimum wage Address the gender pay gap by banning pay secrecy clauses so workers can openly talk about their pay, requiring the Fair Work Commission to consider gender when making pay decisions, delivering better flexibility for workers, and improving protections on sexual harassment Create secure jobs by restricting the use of rolling fixed term contracts as well as requiring the Fair Work Commission to consider job security when making decisions Well done to all ASU members who campaigned and made this happen. Together, we can make our workplaces & society fairer.
Last night, on the basis of union members’ campaigning so far, the government indicated that it was prepared to negotiate around its wages policy of 2.5%. On the basis of this movement, public sector unions have agreed to postpone today’s rally outside 1 William Street. For details on the latest wages negotiations, make sure you’re registered to join the Together report-back meeting on Friday – you can register here. Congratulations on putting on the pressure and ensuring movement on wages in 2022!
The Fair Work Commission has decided to increase wages for a quarter of Australian workers - 5.2 per cent for those on the minimum wage and 4.6 per cent or $40 per week for those reliant on award wages, whichever is higher. This increase applies to workers in the private sector and federal jurisdiction. Public sector workers wages are largely governed by state government wages policy, which at the moment is only 2.5%. Union members are campaign to change the state government wage policy and today's announcement from the FWC shows that 2.5% in today's economy is not good enough. You can read more about the campaign here. The FWC's decision puts an extra $40 a week in the pocket of a fulltime worker on the minimum wage and low-paid award workers. While this is a good outcome for these workers. There are still 8.5 million workers who don’t know where their next wage rise is coming from. The union movement fought hard for this increase, standing up for the quarter of Australian workers who rely on this process for a pay rise. If it were not for unions, with employers pushing for big real wage cuts, Australian working people and their families would see no relief from cost of living pressures. Lack of wage growth is a critical issue for our economy and we need concerted action to address it. Our current system means that despite low unemployment, high productivity and record profits, labour’s share of GDP is at a record low and Australian workers have faced a decade of record low wage growth capped by ongoing real wage cuts. Australia needs a plan to ensure that over time, wages grow for working people, and a system which will deliver on that plan. The current system is not delivering for working people. This Annual Wage Review is one tool we have to generate wage growth, but it only affects one in four workers – we need wage growth across the economy. The current system is failing. It is unable to deliver wage increases despite low unemployment, high productivity and high profits. Working people are feeling the serious consequences of nearly 10 years of inaction by the previous federal Government. Our country needs to take a fresh look at this problem and address it. It is not acceptable that working Australians and their families continue to go backwards while big business does so well. We cannot be satisfied with a wage setting process that leaves minimum wage workers living in poverty and delivers real wage cuts for the average worker.
Wages have become the top issue for union members in 2022. Union members in the public service have an unprecedented opportunity to campaign together to change government wages policy in 2022. At the same time, union members across the country have been campaigning for award wage rises that keep up with the cost of living. This morning the Fair Work Commission determined that workers needed a wage increase of 4.6%, well above the state government's wage policy of 2.5%. The Fair Work Commission has also awarded a flat dollar increase of $40 per work, which is higher than 4.6% and further protects low paid workers. The decision shows that workers cannot afford a wage increase of only 2.5% when prices are rising faster than they have for over two decades. A 2.5% increase for Queensland public sector workers- in line with current government policy - with inflation taking off is a wage cut in real terms. Union members have said that's simply not good enough. Be part of the campaign - register here. With most of the public sector renegotiating their EB agreements this year, there is a real opportunity for the collective strength of union members to change the state government's wages policy. Queensland public sector workers have been able to bargain for wages above their award. They have won these higher rates through their collective power in campaigns. That is why this year workers across the public sector and across unions will be campaigning for fair wage increases with a simple message that wage increases must at least match the increases in the cost of living. Next week, members in Health, Education, TMR and more will be holding virtual meetings across Queensland to kick off the campaign for fairer wages. They will be coming together with members of other public sector unions to call on the state government to change wages policy so public sector workers don't fall behind. Already 1500 members have joined the campaign - will you be part of this change? These meetings will be held in Queensland hospitals, TMR centres, TAFEs, schools and more with a simple message that wages must keep up with cost of living. It's not too late to register to attend a meeting in your workplace. Click here to join the campaign and register to attend.
