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Anthony Albanese’s Government Makes Major Law Change That Will Raise YOUR Wages and Upset Bosses – Here’s What It Means For You
- Australian employers can no longer ban staff from discussing salaries in new laws
- Reforms proposed by the Albanian government will narrow the gender pay gap
- Bill to include a ban on confidentiality clauses that prevent employees from talking about salary
- Laws to make it easier for industrial arbitrators to order wage increases for workers
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Employers will not be able to prohibit their staff from discussing their salary under the new workplace legislation proposed by the Albanian government to close the gender pay gap.
It would also make it easier for the industrial arbiter to order wage increases for workers so that men and women receive equal pay for work of equal value.
Employment Secretary Tony Burke will present the first tranche of his labor relations reforms to parliament next week.
The bill bans nondisclosure clauses that prevent employees from discussing their pay. Burke said the clauses are often used to hide gender pay gaps.
Anthony Albanese (center) considers subsidizing electricity bills as Australians face rising energy costs due to an energy crisis
The legislation also promises to put gender equality at the heart of Australian labor laws and will introduce two new panels within the Fair Work Commission – one on pay equality and one on the care and community sector.
The bill will introduce a legal ‘principle of equal pay’ that will make it easier for the framework contract to order pay increases for low-paid, female-dominated sectors.
Queensland has a similar principle designed to ensure that gender-based assumptions are not used to assess the value of work.
“A key objective of this bill will be to help close the gender pay gap,” Burke said.
“Women should not be paid less than men, it’s that simple.”
Absent from the first phase of the reforms were controversial plans to strengthen multi-employer bargaining rights, which the federal government committed to at the September Jobs and Skills Summit.
Unions say the reforms would allow employers from different companies to pool resources to advocate for wage increases, but some business groups warn that this could lead to a spike in union action and subsequently hurt productivity.
Mr Burke said further measures against the ‘secure jobs, better pay’ would be announced before being presented to parliament.
A Senate work and care committee also released its interim report on Tuesday, containing eight ‘urgent’ recommendations to improve the balance between these two responsibilities.
It advised the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to examine legislative reforms to support flexible work arrangements and protect employees who leave their jobs outside of contract hours.