PRESS RELEASE: Politician pay rise “obscene” & should be donated to charity.

The Australian Workers Party (AWP) is calling on all Federal politicians to donate their salary increases in light of the July 1st penalty rate cut for hospitality workers.

Mark Ptolemy, AWP National Secretary said, “The Federal Parliamentarian pay increase is simply obscene. While wages for most working people have remained stagnant for years and the fact that nearly 9 million workers will get a pay cut from July 1st, they should show some decency and either reject the 2% pay increase or donate it to charity.

“We understand that the politician pay increases are set by the Independent Remuneration Tribunal but it is still the choice of individual MPs to accept it or not”.

The AWP spokesperson said that hospitality workers earn $20.91 an hour, and will lose much of their penalty rates come July 1st, yet Prime Minister Scott Morrison will get an annual pay rise of over $10,000.

“We call upon all parliamentarians, every single one of them to respect the struggles of ordinary wage earners and donate their salary increases to charity if they cannot find the courage to reject them.

“We know the MPs will say they cannot reject the increases, but we all know that if they collectively addressed the matter they could seek a moratorium on any increases until wages for average workers increased,” Mark Ptolemy said.

“Alternatively, donating their 2% salary increases would make a substantial difference to many charities.

“We reject the old chestnut that if you ‘pay peanuts you get monkeys’. Being a member of Parliament should be about public service not personal profit. We need people representing our communities that are in Canberra for the common good, not the good of their bank accounts.

“Workers across Australia are struggling, many have to work two or three jobs to survive. To hear that base salary of a MP will be over $207,000 and that the Prime Minister will receive over $550,000 is more than a slap in the face, it’s a kick in the guts.

“Our message to all Federal Parliamentarians is this: reject the salary increase, or donate it, and show some respect to ordinary workers who are struggling due to the decisions that you all make,” Ptolemy said.

For further comment: Mark Ptolemy 0414993873
www.australianworkersparty.org