Why sticking together is the key to higher wages when cost-of-living is rising
In this article:
- How union membership helps increase your wages
- How fair conditions are as important as fair pay
- Why it’s easier when workers stick together
Many new members say they joined UWU to secure a higher wages. While we wait for Fair Work to announce the outcome of its Annual Wage Review, you might be questioning if the wage rise will be enough. Unions are calling for a 6% increase, but whatever the decision is, the rising cost of living is causing stress for individuals and families. How can we ensure our wages don’t keep falling behind the cost of essentials like groceries, rents, fuel, healthcare, childcare and energy bills?
What low wages mean for these UWU members in the cleaning industry:
“Fewer opportunities for my children and also hard to pay bills which is leading to stress and worry.”
“I’m living from pay check to pay check. 90% of pay on bills and food. 10% on transport.”
The Reserve Bank’s latest interest rate rise is making things even harder for workers, especially in UWU industries such as aged care, cleaning, early childhood education, warehousing and hospitality. While we cannot control global conflict or trade disruptions, we can work together to improve the workplaces where we spend so much of our lives.
Employers use tough times as an excuse not to increase wages
Unfortunately, employers have always argued against wage increases no matter what the economic climate is. And that’s why, during a cost-of-living crisis, it’s even more important for workers to stick together.
But many things we now take for granted have been won by workers in their union:
- weekends,
- sick leave,
- overtime pay,
- safety laws,
- parental leave
- and fair working hours.
Workers outnumber employers, so organising together is how we make change
These conditions were won through workers being organised and strategic. That’s where being a union member comes in. You might feel overworked and don’t have the energy to get involved, but that is the reason why the more members there are at your workplace, the easier it is on each individual. More voice, more support and more weight to your claims for fair pay.
How does UWU help increase your wages?
Campaigning and negotiating for wage rises is core business for United Workers Union members. There are 3 main ways we achieve this:
- Submission to the Annual Wage Review to increase minimum and award wages
- Bargaining at workplaces to create better conditions and locked in pay increases
- Winning back underpayments from employers for our members
“Becoming extremely difficult to pay bills and put food on the table and fuel in the car to go to work, I have zero money left each week to do anything, no chance at all of having a savings account.” – UWU hospitality member
Hospitality is overrepresented by workers on minimum wages. Our submissions introduce experiences like this one to the Fair Work Annual Wage Review to improve wages, but we also lobby governments together with other unions to improve conditions, such as fuel allowances and flexible work arrangements so that pressures on workers are reduced. A fairer workplace also has good conditions.
It’s not all about higher wages
It’s easy to focus on higher wages as the fix for cost-of-living pressures. There’s no doubt that a pay increase is always helpful. But, by ensuring our working conditions are fair, which includes:
- job security,
- manageable workloads,
- reasonable shifts and rosters,
- penalty rates,
- leave entitlements,
- and a safe environment,
we raise our everyday living conditions considerably. An unmanageable workload will remain unmanageable no matter how much you’re earning. Not everything can be fixed with money. This is why unions also focus heavily on improving our conditions at work. And who knows better about how to improve working conditions than workers themselves?
How improved working conditions help beyond the workplace
Examples even just from this year show that our members have won job security, roster justice, and direct employment.
These examples show an important reality: when workers act together, they can improve everyday lives. One worker alone can easily be ignored. But when hundreds, or thousands, of workers organise collectively, employers and governments face greater pressure to respond.
Solidarity protects workers from fear and isolation. During economic hardship, many people are afraid to speak up about low wages, unsafe workloads, or unfair treatment. Unions help people feel supported and represented instead of alone without a voice.
Workers also need:
- secure jobs,
- predictable hours,
- paid leave,
- safe workplaces,
- and protection from exploitation.
These protections become even more important when families are already struggling financially. Job security, especially, means that even when times are tough, we know we’ll continue to get a regular pay check while we stand with colleagues in our union to fight for higher wages.
If you’re not a United Workers Union member yet, there’s never been a better time to join – sign up now! And if you’re already a member, keep talking to your colleagues about how you can work together to win higher wages and better conditions.