Talks to resolve equal pay issues

The Age October 25, 2011

The landmark equal pay case for community sector workers is moving towards a negotiated settlement, with a last-minute intervention from the Gillard government for further talks to try to settle the case.

The claim, which affects about 150,000 non-government workers, was to be heard by Fair Work Australia yesterday before the government's move.

In an interim decision in May, the full bench of Fair Work Australia found that much of the work done in the sector was regarded as ''caring'' female work and that gender was an ''important'' reason for the large pay gap when compared with similar public sector workers.

After talks between the parties failed to reach a settlement on wage rises, the case was to resume in Fair Work Australia yesterday and could eventually have seen the tribunal decide the pay increase.

Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans successfully applied for an adjournment to the hearing, arguing that ''useful progress'' had been made so far and that with further talks ''agreement is possible'' on working out ways to measure the role gender has played in low pay - a key issue.

In a letter to the tribunal, he said the government was also working on ways to reform the sector and a new analysis on the likely cost of the case was ''now almost concluded''.

The unions are seeking pay rises of between 16 per cent to 54 per cent for most of the workers and funding by state and federal governments is crucial as they pay for most of the programs in the sector.

Australian Services Union assistant national secretary Linda White said the union was happy to talk further.

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