🗞️ACTU seeks wage justice for young workers

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The union movement's highest Congress meeting in Adelaide approved a new youth policy to address discriminatory junior rates of pay in an effort to make work more equitable for young people.Awards frequently provide junior employees with a portion of the applicable adult pay rate. In the absence of junior rates specified in their agreement or award, junior employees receive the same pay as adult employees.

New Youth Policy

For young people who are having a hard time making ends meet, the discriminatory rates equate to significant pay cuts. It indicates that a 21-year-old waitress will be paid $29.04 per hour while her 18-year-old coworker will only be paid $16.26 per hour, even though they are performing the same tasks. This is not fair in the slightest. For an 18-year-old retail employee to make an adult wage, they must work more than 50 hours per week.

In New Zealand and other countries.

16 to 19-year-old employees are paid 80% of the minimum wage during their first six months of employment, after which they are paid the full rate. There are no youth rates of pay in almost any province in Canada. Under-18s in Alberta and Ontario continue to receive between 85% and 95% of the full minimum wage.

The Union:

Unions will also call for the abolition of the very low junior rates for apprentices. These training wages are low enough and should not go any lower. Governments also need to lead a crackdown on exploitative training practices.

​Unions want an end to ‘sham traineeship’ arrangements whereby employers engage young trainees as cheap labor and provide minimal or substandard training. Unpaid internships and student placements should also be consigned to the past.

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