Assisted by Kristina Tato
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) handed down its decision on 19
June 2020 regarding the national minimum wage rate and minimum
modern award wages for the new financial year, which will come into
effect from 1 July 2020.
Considerations for the new figure update for the new financial
year are undoubtedly different from previous financial years with
the FWC stating in its Annual Wage Review decision that with the
review "being undertaken during a global pandemic",
COVID-19 and the measures put in place to contain the spread has
resulted in "significant shifts in the way work and society is
conducted, with substantial economic consequences".
In determining the national minimum wage and the minimum wage
for modern awards, considering the current economy, the panel
observed that the pandemic has casted "a large shadow over the
current economic environment". This has ultimately had a
significant impact on the following figures.
