Australian Government Should Raise Minimum Wage by 5 Percent in 2022: ACTU

People are seen in a butcher shop in Lakemba in Sydney, Australia, on July 22, 2021. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is calling on the federal government to increase the minimum wage for low paid workers by five percent to help them keep up with rising living costs.

In its submission to the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the ACTU requested that the minimum hourly rate be raised to $21.35 (US$15.99), pushing the full-year wage up to $42,183.96 (US$31.597.05).