State Wage Case: what it means for your pay and bargaining

While members in Child Safety and Youth Justice keep pushing for a better offer, another process, run by your union, has delivered a 4.75% wage increase from that will be backdated to 1 September.

Every year, your union works alongside the Queensland Council of Unions to argue for wage increases through the State Wage Case. It usually follows the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review, which this year delivered 4.75 per cent. This year has been no different, with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission ordering an increase of 4.75% to Award rates.

Key Takeaways: State Wage Case and bargaining

• The State Wage Case is separate from bargaining, and is another way to increase union members' wages.
• The State Wage Case has applied a 4.75 per cent increase to Award rates from 1 September.
• The Award is the safety net under your wages and conditions, even when your Collective Agreement sits above it. You are paid whichever is the highest of the two rates.
• When it comes to bargaining, Together members in Child Safety and Youth Justice know that conditions are just as important as wages, and will consider any future offers holistically.

What is the State Wage Case and why does it matter?

The State Wage Case is the yearly process that sets increases to Award rates in the Queensland state system. It sits outside enterprise bargaining, but it still matters because Awards are the legal safety net under wages and conditions. Sometimes Award rates overtake EB rates.

Due to a few years of historical wage freezes, and more significant State Wage Case increases, members in Child Safety and Youth Justice were already sitting on the higher Award rates. This means that the full 4.75% will show up on members' payslips when it is processed.

Why the Award rate matters in bargaining

Your Award is the safety net under your wages and conditions. Your Collective Agreement builds on top of it.

Awards do not move much apart from wage increases, and they are amended rarely. Your Collective Agreement, by contrast, gets renegotiated every three years.

That difference matters because of what happened in the 2010s. Wage freezes in Enterprise Bargaining agreements let Award rates creep up behind them. When the State Wage Case delivers a bigger increase than an agreement does, Award rates can periodically overtake agreement rates.

Why backpay matters less than it first sounds

Employers reach for backpay as a bargaining chip during negotiations. It is one of the most reliable levers they have: settle now, or watch a month's worth of backpay slip away. It is designed to make members accept an offer that is not good enough on everything else, especially in a cost of living crisis.

Once the State Wage Case takes effect and is backdated to 1 September, the threat of backpay dissipates under the current wages policy. This better allows members to consider the offer in full, and not just looking at wages and backpay.

Why conditions still matter as much as wages

Wages matter. So do conditions.

Members in Child Safety and Youth Justice have never treated their bargaining campaign as a pay dispute alone. Workloads, staffing, safety, and the things that decide whether you can actually do the job you were trained to do are on the table too.

There is no offer in front of members right now. Last month, members overwhelmingly rejected an offer that was simply status quo.

When a new offer comes, members will judge it in totality. Wages and conditions, together.

FAQs about the State Wage Case and bargaining

Is the State Wage Case part of bargaining?

No. The State Wage Case is a separate process that adjusts Award rates in the Queensland state system. It can still affect bargaining because it changes the wage floor under existing agreements.

Why does the Award matter if I am covered by a Collective Agreement?

The Award still matters because it remains the legal safety net. If Award rates rise enough, they can catch up to or overtake rates in an agreement that has fallen behind. This is what has happened this year.

Would members still get backpay now that the State Wage Case increase has been decided?

Members will still get a pay rise backdated to 1 September under the Award increase. That is why the backpay pressure attached to the current wages position becomes much smaller.

Does this mean wages no longer matter in bargaining?

No. Wages still matter, but they are not the only issue. Members are also bargaining over workloads, staffing, safety, and other conditions that shape daily working life. Members will consider any offer on both the wages and conditions elements, together.