MELBOURNE: The city of Melbourne came to a standstill after tens of thousands marched demanding better working condition. The rally comes ahead of the national elections slated for May.

The opposition Labor party wants to make moribund wages a focus of its election campaign, with its union allies claiming “Australians have seen the largest fall in their living standards in 30 years”.

The governing conservative Liberal-National coalition has been arguing that company tax cuts were the best way to boost wages.