What is a State Wage Case?
The most common method of award wage employees receiving a pay rise is through the State Wage Case. The NSW Industrial Relations Commission hands down a decision each year to determine the appropriate wage increase for NSW awards. The decision is handed down after the NSW IRC hears submissions from unions, employer associations, and the NSW State Government. The pay rise applies to workers across the State who are employed under NSW state awards and who haven’t received an increase through enterprise bargaining. Organisations responsible for each State award then need to apply to the NSWIRC in order to have the increases provided by the decision included in each award. The increased award rates of pay will then be payable from a date that will be determined by the Commission at the time of hearing the application. Wage adjustments from this decision will generally only apply 12 months after the last State Wage Case increases have been inserted into the relevant award.
