Equal Pay and Corporate Hysteria

Employers must move on from old-fashioned ideas about women’s work and make a genuine commitment to overcome the 18% gap between men and women’s pay.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said mean-spirited employer groups who immediately attacked yesterday’s landmark Fair Work Australia ruling on pay equity for social and community sector workers had had shown their true colours and would prefer women were paid unfairly than catch up with modern values.

“Are employer groups really advocating that we stay in the dark days where women were treated as second class workers?” Ms Kearney said.

“It is an absolute shame that on the day when we see the end of decades of undervaluation of the work in the sector dominated by women, employer groups are acting as if the sky is going to fall in.

“With comments such as this is a “disturbing” decision that needs to be “quarantined”, business is clinging to outdated ideas of the past that devalue the role of women in the workforce.”

Ms Kearney said suggestions the ruling affecting social and community sector workers would lead to a flood of fresh claims in other sectors was nothing more than scare-mongering.

“This case, led by the Australian Services Union in conjunction with other unions, was a very complicated one, which took two years to run,” she said.

“You cannot just cut and paste the decision into other sectors. However, where there are injustices occurring then of course those injustices should be addressed.

“The Fair Work Act replaced a draconian set of laws that took away the rights of Australian workers.

Yesterday’s ruling is a clear indication of why we need good, fair laws in place so that all Australian workers can receive fair pay and conditions.

“This shows the equal remuneration provisions in the Act are delivering on the promise of equal pay, which is a workplace right and a human right.  Equal pay was endorsed by the Federal Labor Government well before yesterday’s ruling, fully awarding its share of the funding, with a $2 billion commitment.

“Now those state and territory governments who have not already committed to their share must do so.

And employers must also commit to this decision because the reality is Australia has moved on from old-fashioned ideas of women’s work.

“Fair Work Australia recognised gender played a part in the lower pay rates of community and social workers compared to public sector workers, so employers simply cannot keep singing from their same old tired songsheet.”

Fair Work Australia’s ruling will mean social and community sector workers will receive pay increases of between 23% and 45% over the next eight years, beginning on 1 December. The pay increases will phase in at between 2.5% and 5% a year, depending on salary level.