Metals Breakthrough Sets the Trend

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union's breakthough in settling the trend-setting Metals agreement is welcome news for many workers and their unions, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today. The EPMU announced this afternoon that the Metals and Manufacturing Industries Collective Agreement has been settled with workers winning a 5 per cent pay rise over 15 months.

"The deal is a significant step in unions' Fair Pay campaign which has established 5 per cent as a benchmark pay rise in collective employment agreements," Ross Wilson said.

A number of union agreements in several industries had also settled on 5 per cent, he said.

"Economic evidence shows there's no doubt that the union campaign for a minimum 5 per cent pay rise is justified," he said. "Five per cent is a reasonable minimum rise and many employers are recognising that."