The RTBU has called off a planned four-hour strike on Melbourne's passenger trains this Friday along with two "free travel" days this week, to allow for further negotiations starting this morning.
Wage growth in private sector federal agreements approved by the FWC in the March quarter dropped to the lowest level since 1991, according to the Department of Employment.
CPSU members in 17 APS agencies are set to begin a campaign of rolling four-hour stoppages next month, as the union seeks to pressure the federal government to increase its sub-inflation pay offers.
In his second major backdown on Australian Defence Force personnel pay and conditions, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has bumped up from 1.5% to an above-inflation 2% the annual wage increases payable under their three-year agreement.
Tasmania's Hodgman Government has introduced draft legislation for its proposal to impose a 12-month freeze on the wages and incremental increases of the state's 24,000 public servants and remove the State IRC's power to award future pay increases above a 2% Government-set cap.
News Corp Australia has offered a real pay cut for several thousand journalists employed at its Australian newspapers and is also seeking to reduce redundancy entitlements for new hires.
NSW Shadow IR Minister Adam Searle says the Baird Government has "busted" its wages cap with a new deal that goes beyond the 2.5% public service limit by paying for two-thirds of a recent massive rise in police officers' insurance premiums.
Private sector agreements approved in the December quarter provided average pay rises of 3.6% a year, slightly up on the 3.5% annual increase recorded in the September quarter, according to Department of Employment data released today.
Crown Melbourne's dealers have won immediate pay rises of up to 18%, under the latest enterprise agreement covering the casino group's 4500 hospitality workers.
