Unions says a report showing the gap between the haves and the have-nots is growing in Australia underscores the need for urgent pay rises.
A report this month by Oxfam International shows that wealth inequality in Australia is among the worst in the developed world, with Australia ranked 22 out of the 35 OECD countries, the ACTU says.
The ACTU says the report also found the top one per cent of people in Australia have increased their share of wealth from 22 to 23 per cent, while the wealth share by the bottom half has fallen.
The figures prove the enterprise bargaining system is broken, ACTU secretary Sally McManus says.
"Working people can't get fair pay rises because workers rights no longer balance the power of employers, and as a result, we have rising and crippling inequality," she said in a statement.
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