Monday 23 May 2022
Professionals Australia congratulates Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and looks forward to working with his new government to improve wages and working conditions for professional employees across the country.
Professionals Australia represents engineers, pharmacists, managers, IT professionals, game workers, scientists, architects and translators and interpreters in both the private and public sectors, across a diverse range of industries.
Professionals Australia CEO Jill McCabe welcomed the new Albanese Labor Government and looks forward to working with Ministers across a range of portfolios to address issues of concern to professional employees in critical areas of the economy.
“I congratulate Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and welcome a new Federal Labor Government. We look forward to building a constructive and collaborative relationship with this government, focused on improving the wages and working conditions of our members and all workers across Australia.
Ms McCabe said that Australian workers, including members of Professionals Australia had been falling behind due to the twin pressures of stagnant wages growth and spiraling inflation.
“For over a decade, Australian workers have been falling behind due to historically low wages growth. With inflation rates reaching 5.1 per cent over the past 12 months and the wage price index only growing by 2.4 percent over the same period, workers and their families are rapidly going backwards.
“Job insecurity is also a major issue for millions of Australian workers who can’t buy a house or plan for their future because they don’t have a reasonable and steady income. Increasing numbers of professional workers are also on short-term contracts which fail to provide employment stability or income certainty.
“In other sectors, such as pharmacy, dedicated and highly skilled pharmacists receive appalling rates of pay, lack career development opportunities and work excessive hours. These issues must be urgently addressed, in order to protect the sustainability of this essential health care sector.
“In addition, Professionals Australia is keen to see changes to staffing and wages policies in the Australian public sector which better respect and reward workers in the sector.
Ms McCabe said the Albanese Government had set a big agenda and applauded the proposed employment summit which would bring together government, business, and unions.
“Professionals Australia welcomes the Albanese Government’s commitment to bringing government, business and unions together at an employment summit focused on lifting wages and improving productivity.
“Australian workers are the key to economic development, and it is incumbent on all of us to work together to deliver better employment opportunities, pay and conditions in the future.”
Media contact: Darren Rodrigo – 0414 783 405