Mortgages are up. Rent is up. Fuel is up. Groceries are up.
Yet for most workers, wages have not kept pace.
This is the result of deliberate policy decisions that have placed the burden of "fixing" inflation squarely on the shoulders of working people while corporations see record profits and pay increases for mega-rich executives without question.
This week, the ASU National Executive met and passed a resolution, declaring the current path of interest rate rises completely untenable for working Australians. Your union, as part of the National Executive, is reflecting what members across this country have been living through.
Read the full ASU National Executive Resolution here.
What the resolution actually says
The ASU National Executive is not just raising concerns. They are making specific demands that are grounded in the reality of what workers are actually spending money on every single day.
The ASU National Executive Resolution demands:
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A Real Wage Increase: An urgent wage increase for all workers, including the lowest paid through the annual wage review to ensure workers can make ends meet and keep up with soaring housing costs.
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Fuel Relief Through WFH: Universal support for working from home where possible, to save ASU members hundreds of dollars a month in fuel and commuting costs.
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A 4-Day Week for Frontline Workers: For those who cannot work from home, like parks officers, aged care workers, disability, and childcare workers and waste collectors, the ASU is demanding flexible arrangements, such as a four-day work week at full pay, to drastically reduce the cost of the daily commute.
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Urgent Fuel Bill Relief: An immediate review and increase of travel allowances, including a specific NDIA supplement for rates paid to workers who are currently out-of-pocket for driving clients to essential appointments.
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Protection Against Standdowns: With mining workers already being stood down, the ASU is on high alert for our members in transport and aviation who are concerned about their job security. We will fight any attempt to use economic volatility as an excuse to strip workers of their livelihoods.
As ASU National Secretary Emeline Gaske said: "The solution to inflation cannot be found by putting working people under extreme pressure while the big end of town rakes in record profits and CEO pay remains out of control."
Gaske continued: "Workers have a right to housing and a dignified life. These are not luxuries to be traded away for a budget surplus or sacrificed to satisfy a failed economic theory. We are talking about the ability for workers to put food on the table."
Why this matters if you work in the Queensland Public Service
Queensland public sector workers are not insulated from any of this. You are renters and mortgage holders. Many need to fill up a car to get to their worksite. You are watching your grocery bills grow and yet your pay packet does not stretch the way it used to.
There is something else at stake here too. The ASU's warning about government spending cuts is not abstract. When budgets tighten, it is public sector workers who face frozen wages, understaffed teams, and the pressure to deliver the same services with less. The fight to protect public services is also a fight to protect your workplace and your colleagues.
What you can do right now
This resolution sends a clear message to governments and employers: workers are watching, and we are organised. Resolutions matter and the collective action behind them is what drives them.
If you are already a member, start a conversation. Ask your colleagues how they are managing. The cost-of-living crisis is hitting everyone differently, but it is indeed hitting everyone. Let them know that being part of their union means they do not have to navigate this alone, and that they can help by getting involved.
