The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently handed down its Annual Wage Review Decision, in which all minimum award rates of pay will be increased by 1.75 per cent.
Three different starting dates for the increases will come into being based on the impacts of COVID-19 on the sector.
The increase for the first group at the beginning of July spans employees under the Pharmacy Industry Award.
Other workers who receive an increase in the first round include social assistance workers, teachers and childcare workers, and other essential services.
Remaining groups will receive their increases from either the beginning of November or the beginning of February next year.
Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA) says that it sought increases of four per cent through the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), however employers in turn sought a pay freeze.
“In the current economic and pandemic environment PPA believes that a 1.75 per cent increase is probably better than expected,” says the union.
A Pharmacy Guild spokesperson said: “As an employer organisation, the Guild urges all pharmacy employers to comply fully with their legal obligations in terms of wages and entitlements for staff, including the provisions and pay rates under the award where they operate under the award.
“The minimum award rates are now incorporated into the award, noting that many pharmacies in many parts of Australia pay above the award.”
Click here to visit the PPA’s website for a graph on the new minimum rates.
