Wages Vs Salary

[zdcol71]

Big difference between salary and wages is that although you can, to an extent, dictate both, one is your choice, and the other is worked out with the help of your mates.
I have been in the metal workers union since I started my apprenticeship (in 1977), but have been on a salary for the past 7 years. The salary is very good industry wise, and includes super, income protection and a vehicle. I work in oil and gas and when on a major project ,the wage employees earn a motza more than me week to week, but our company pays either "additional hours " payments, or project specific uplifts to compensate.End of the project, I am kept on till the next project, while the wage employees are "off to the next job" themselves.We have been very fortunate in recent times as the resource industry has been protected from what has happened in the rest of the real world,
Salaries,(and I don't mean obscene CEO packages) have taken a bit of a beating in the last few years, because industry has been bought back to reality a bit, and as a result wages have reflected that, (profits down, salaries down, wages stemmed or reduced to suit...unfortunately board members,directors, CEOs etc unaffected). Bottom line is, decide what you are worth in relation to all the rest doing the same job, and demand the same recompense(or more), or settle for what they give you.