Hair stylists told to wait in line for next national pay rise   :(
July 1, 2021 Australian Workers Union.
Hair stylists have been sent to the back of the queue again with their latest national pay rise delayed until November.

The Fair Work Commission has awarded a 2.5% increase to the national minimum wage, and all Awards, but phased this increase in three different stages.

Workers’ pay under most awards, including most trades, will rise in July, and retail workers’ pay goes up in September.

But Hair and Beauty Award workers, alongside those in tourism and hospitality, won’t see their pay rise until November.

Daniel Walton, National Secretary of the AWU, which powers Hair Stylists Australia, says the decision is extremely unfair.

“This makes no sense as, unlike sectors such as aviation and tourism, hair and beauty does not rely on overseas or domestic tourists to make money,” Daniel says.

“Hair stylists are already one of the lowest-paid trades in Australia, as well as the only one dominated by women – this just further widens the wage gap.

“Not only do hair stylists miss out yet again, but this sets another dangerous precedent for holding back fair, national award rises.”

The July 2020 national pay increase of 1.75% was delayed until February for the Hair and Beauty Award. This means for the 2020 financial year a full-time senior stylist would have lost out on $410 in wages.

The latest delay means hair stylists will lose a further $350 in wage increases this financial year. That’s $760 in lost earnings for a full-time senior stylist in the past two years, not including allowances.

“There is now a real shortage of hairdressers, with many salon owners waiting weeks to find staff,” Daniel says.

“The industry says it can’t get workers, but yet again the same industry through industry bodies such as HABA and AIG oppose any attempt to lift hair stylists’ wages.

“Whether its penalty rates or award increases, hair stylists can always rely on these industry bodies to oppose any attempt to actually fix the real problem of being the lowest paid tradespeople in the country.”

Daniel says it’s a disgrace that the only trade dominated by women in the country is also the lowest-paid.

“It’s no wonder so many qualified hairdressers move to other industries where they can get paid more money for less demanding work.

“Hair stylists are extremely passionate about their industry and their clients – but it’s time we started treating them like the highly skilled, creative workers that they are. Respect and dignity is not so much to ask for at work.”

HSA believes the staff shortage is also due to poor workforce retention, driven by systemic wage theft, bullying and harassment in the industry.

“It’s about time the industry got serious and began pushing to lift pay, and conditions, to attract and keep its young workers.

Watch that inflation rate there white night

I can sense it is about to start ticking up

Which means hair stylists will need an even bigger pay rise

Which means everyone else will need a bigger pay rise to pay for services

And round and round we go

aquascoot wrote on Jul 6^th, 2021 at 10:28am:

Watch that inflation rate there white night I can sense it is about to start ticking up Which means hair stylists will need an even bigger pay rise Which means everyone else will need a bigger pay rise to pay for services And round and round we go

Not really, dear, you just take it off your taxes.

$70,000 per annum seems about right. One has to have it dyed and coiffed into a sort of pompadour.

You?

Yes - continue to split those who work for a living into smaller and smaller groups by showing preference for some while arbitrarily, like some Japanese Shogun, dispensing largesse to others. Keeps the peasantry off balance and infighting while the real problem children run riot at the top.

Rather than a united front of those who work for a living, they are all pitted one against the other, with some feeling their occupation is far more prestigious than others, and thus is deserving of far more and more readily.....

Utilise the snobbery of the masses against them....

Sir Grappler Truth Teller OAM wrote on Jul 6^th, 2021 at 3:04pm:

Yes - continue to split those who work for a living into smaller and smaller groups by showing preference for some while arbitrarily, like some Japanese Shogun, dispensing largesse to others. Keeps the peasantry off balance and infighting while the real problem children run riot at the top. Rather than a united front of those who work for a living, they are all pitted one against the other, with some feeling their occupation is far more prestigious than others, and thus is deserving of far more and more readily..... Utilise the snobbery of the masses against them....

No no, that was Aquascoot's Dear Leader, Mr Trump.

Aquascoot's the only person in the world right now worried about inflation.

The rest of us are hoping we don't have to pay the banks to look after our money once interest rates go below zero. We'll be paying to loan money.

You?