SA Unions secretary Dale Beasley announced late on Monday that the union peak body had lodged South Australia’s state wage case with the SA Employment Tribunal (SAET), asking for a 5.2 per cent increase in the minimum wage for state and local government employees.

The state wage case covers workers in the state’s industrial system not covered by enterprise bargaining agreements.

The current minimum wage for full-time adult employees in South Australia’s public sector is $786.70 a week ($20.70 an hour).

A 5.2 per cent increase would lift wages to $827.60 a week ($21.77 an hour).

The employment tribunal case comes after the Fair Work Commission ordered a 5.2 per cent increase to the national minimum wage in July.

“The state government will support the Federal minimum wage decision being flowed on to the State system,” a government spokesperson told InDaily this morning.

“The South Australian Employment Tribunal will determine the appropriate method to flow on those wage increases.”

Earlier, Beasley said a minimum wage increase for South Australian government workers “just makes sense and it’s the right thing to do”.

“If it’s good enough for the federal system it’s good enough for SA,” he said in a statement.

“These are workers who have supported SA during the pandemic; they have worked hard to keep things running for the benefit of our community.

“We need to make sure they’re protected with a minimum wage safety net that maintains the value of their wages”

According to a fact sheet from SafeWorkSA, the state wage case decision “usually adopts the increase awarded by the Fair Work Commission in that year’s Annual Wage Review for National system worker”.

The national system minimum wage sits at $812.60 a week ($21.38 an hour), below SA Unions’ call for $827.60 a week.

SA Unions says it anticipates the SAET will convene a directions conference in September to discuss the state wage case.