A woman who claimed to earn up to $200,000 a year as a traffic controller has sparked a furious debate on social media.
Queensland woman Suzie Ross revealed her eye-watering income after she was asked by an interviewer on the street about her job.
‘I do traffic control and I make between $140,000 and $200,000 a year,’ she said.
Ms Rose said the job had several overtime benefits that helps her earn the large sum and said she worked different shifts as part of the job.
‘Penalty rates and your loadings are really good,’ she explained.
‘It’s usually we’re the first on the job and the last [to leave], we can be on the morning shift or I’m doing night shift this week’.
The mother said one of the challenges of working as a traffic controller was the ‘ignorance’ about what workers do on the job.
‘A young person is not asked one single person of what do you do when you approach roadworks,’ she said.
‘I think there should be more awareness because it is a high risk job’.
The interview was uploaded to TikTok by Getahead, an app that connects jobseekers with employment opportunities in Australia.
A fierce debate about the eye-watering salary quickly erupted in the comments.
‘I’ve owned a traffic control company in Sydney for 12 years and I’m sure she doesn’t make that much money,’ one user said.
‘It’s between 39k-80k depending [on] experience. But, traffic control is not a bed of roses. They have their favourites and you will be lucky to get 5hrs-to 40hrs [of work] a week,’ another commented.
‘I’ve been a traffic controller for 2 years while I’m studying even doing 12-16 hour days the most I’ve made is 88k in a financial year’.
Suzie Rose (pictured right) revealed she earns up to $200,000 a year working as a traffic controller
Other essential workers said they didn’t earn nearly as much as Mr Rose.
‘I’m a doctor with 10 years experience and yet this person earns more than me after a 20hr training course,’ one user said.
Some chimed in by saying many traffic controllers do get paid hefty hourly rates particularly when they work at night.
‘It’s not a joke. Light rail on the Gold Coast at the moment night shift traffic control are on over $90 an hour,’ one said.
Ms Rose said training courses for a traffic controller are fairly easy and that workers take part in a 20-hour trial to see if they like the job or not.
She added it had become easier for women to get into the construction industry.
According to leading employment website Seek traffic controllers earn an average annual salary of between $55,000 to $75,000.
According to leading employment website Seek, traffic controllers (pictured) earn an average annual salary of between $55,000 to $75,000
The CFMEU revealed last month that a new workplace agreement is set to be signed that would give construction workers a five per cent pay rise.
The deal which the construction union is yet to make official would allow labourers and traffic controllers to earn $2000 a week over over a three year agreement according to reports from the Herald Sun.
Junior stop-sign holders could earn as much as $120,000 for working 36-hour weeks on construction sites.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Rose for comment.
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