Deputy Premier
The NSW Government has called on leading industry experts to establish the first state Trade and Industry Advisory Committee (TIAC) to help boost NSW’s economy following the impacts of COVID-19.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the group will deliver expert advice to the Government on effectively managing the evolving global trade industry including current trends and emerging export growth opportunities.
“Global trade is changing rapidly having faced a range of disruptions over recent years and I want to make sure we have the right policies and programs in place to support the growth of NSW businesses by boosting export and investment opportunities,” Mr Barilaro said.
Source: Studio Gi/Adobe.
The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) is seeking a guaranteed minimum wage for fruit pickers before the Fair Work Commission this week.
The AWU’s case will be heard on Tuesday, where the union says it will argue the
Horticulture Award should be amended so that every worker on every farm is entitled to the minimum casual rate of pay, currently $25.41 per hour.
According to the AWU, some workers are currently being paid as little as $3 per hour because farms can use ‘piece rate arrangements’ that mean workers are paid depending on the quantity of fruit picked or vegetables harvested.
Australian Union Wants Guaranteed Minimum Wage for Fruit Pickers
The Australian Worker’s Union (AWU) will appear before the Fair Work Commission today to push for a guaranteed minimum wage for fruit and vegetable pickers.
At present, the minimum rate of pay for casual farm work is $25.41 per hour (US$19.02). However, the AWU says farms can “dodge” the minimum rate through piece-rate arrangements, where workers are paid depending on the quantity of fruit or vegetables harvested.
“Piece-rates make it easy for vulnerable workers to be cheated, ripped off, and exploited,” AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton said. “The farm lobby loves piece rates because their complexity is a great place for wage thieves to hide. Currently, you don’t even have to record how many hours someone is working.”
Industry in shock as Vic gas prices hit record levels
Jul 9, 2021 – 10.03am
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Gas prices in Victoria have taken another huge leap to record levels of about 10 times average levels, fuelling urgent calls for the federal government to pull the trigger on its domestic gas security mechanism.
Wholesale prices surged to an unheard-of $58.44 a gigajoule in Victoria for a four-hour period on Friday, shocking manufacturers and raising the likelihood of plant shutdowns among those exposed to spot prices.
The spike in prices extended big increases earlier this week driven by a combination of cold weather, reduced production at the eastern states’ largest domestic supply plant and rapidly diminishing stores of reserve gas.
MacroBusiness
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It’s foreign-owned and sure ain’t working for Australia’s national interest:
Scott Morrison has been urged to “pull the trigger’’ on capping gas exports by the powerful Australian Workers’ Union and a leading employer group, as a spike in prices threatens plans to expand the nation’s manufacturing capacity.
AWU national secretary Daniel Walton said the Prime Minister would be “stomping the green shoots of Australia’s potential manufacturing comeback” if he refused to restrict LNG exports to Asia, with wholesale gas prices more than doubling in the past month in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.