AUSTRALIA needs a pay rise, according to the Australian Congress of Trade Unions (Actu), which has warned that real wages are falling for four in five of the country’s workforce.

Actu general secretary Sally McManus warned that a wages crisis has become acute under the Abbot/Turnbull/Morrison government.

She pointed out the reality for many workers who have seen real wages going backwards for the last seven years after a report in newspaper The Australian claimed pay was rising in relation to the cost of living.

Ms McManus said the misleading report “flies in the face of local and international consensus on the need for pay rises and wage growth for working people.

“Every working person in this country knows that Australia needs a pay rise and that our pay isn’t keeping us on top of the cost of living.

“It’s only conservative economists, corporate executives and the Morrison government who are yet to be convinced,” she said.

She promised: “We will continue to campaign for fair pay rises and more secure jobs for working people.”