Enterprise bargaining delivers more wage wins for workers

New figures show the Albanese Government is continuing to deliver real wage increases for more Australians, as workers and employers work together to sign more enterprise agreements. 

The Trends in Federal Enterprise Bargaining report, released by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations today, shows that Australian workers who are covered by a new federal enterprise agreement in the 2024 September quarter have received an average pay rise of 3.6 percent (AAWI – Average Annualised Wage Increase). 

The Fair Work Commission approved an extra 933 enterprise agreements in the September quarter 2024, covering more than 340,000 employees. 

That means enterprise bargaining has positively impacted 1.26 million employees across both the public and private sectors over the last 12 months alone – the highest number of workers covered by new agreements in any 12-month period on record. 

Since 1 July 2022, 9,483 enterprise agreements have been approved, covering 2.26 million employees. 

Enterprise agreements are good for workers and good for businesses. Workers get better pay and conditions, and businesses get more flexibility and productivity. 

The data also showed wages growth in the private sector is outpacing the public sector, with newly approved agreements in the private sector seeing average wages growth of 3.9 percent, compared with 3.5 percent in the public sector during the September quarter. 

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt said the report shows many Australians are benefiting from higher wages as we approach the end of the year. 

“Since the Albanese Government changed our workplace laws, we've seen more agreements reached between employers, unions and workers than we have seen for years,” Minister Watt said. 
 
“Our Government has delivered two big tranches of significant industrial relations reform that have reinvigorated enterprise bargaining.

“Each of these changes we introduced was opposed by Peter Dutton and the Coalition, with them now promising to roll back these laws – and the pay rises that come with them – if they are elected next year. 

“And for all the claims about conflict in the workplace, the latest figures show there is less industrial action happening in Australia right now under a Labor Government than there was under a Coalition Government. 

“Due to the measures introduced by our Government, Australians will continue to see more money in their payslips than ever before. 

“This is the fourth consecutive quarter that wages growth in enterprise agreements outpaced inflation, meaning more money in people’s pockets in the lead-up to Christmas. 

“This is timely news to receive at the end of the year, when many Australians are facing cost-of-living pressures. As we come into the new year, helping Australians with cost of living relief remains our number one priority."