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Fair Work Australia (FWA) ruled today that the Equal Pay Case being championed by the Australian Services Union (ASU) and their alliance partners has proved that Social and Community Services (SACS) sector workers in the not for profit sector are clearly underpaid and that a part of the reason for that underpayment is based upon the fact that a significant majority of the worker’s performing this important work are women.
The SACS sector overwhelmingly employs female workers and the fact that the work has historically been seen as “women’s work” has led to workers in the sector being grossly underpaid, particularly in comparison with their counterparts in the Local Government sector and the State / Federal public sectors. SACS workers frequently receive up to $30,000pa less than people performing almost identical roles in these comparable sectors.
“ASU is immensely proud of our members Equal Pay Campaign as this decision now provides the first concrete step forward in our ongoing battle to completely eliminate gender based pay inequality. This is one of the most significant developments towards our goal of finally achieving Pay Equity that has been won during the last 30 years. For far too long our members in the SACS sector have been exploited as a result of their unwavering commitment to the important work required by their clients and our community at large” said Wayne Wood, ASU WA Branch Secretary.
Mr Wood said “FWA has accepted the ASU’s key arguments in the application for an Equal Remuneration Order and today’s decision is a huge victory for low paid workers in the not for profit SACS industry. We welcome the Tribunal’s decision as it has provided an important test of the new Fair Work laws and how they may be used to achieve equal pay.”
Fair Work Australia’s decision states:
“In this decision we have concluded that for employees in the SACS industry there is not equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal or comparable value by comparison with workers in state and local government employment. We consider gender has been important in creating the gap between pay in the SACS industry and pay in comparable state and local government employment.”
In its historic finding that an equal pay gap exists, FWA has determined that something must be done to rectify it. Prior to 10th June 2011 ASU is required to lodge further evidence in support of the level at which the union says that SACS workers should be properly compensated for the gender pay gap that they have endured for so long. The additional submissions will allow FWA to mould an appropriate remedy for the SACS workers equal pay gap.
“ASU members and other SACS workers once again call upon Premier Barnett to agree to support the FWA equal pay case. It is an unfortunate fact that the Premier has thus far refused all requests for his Government to support fair and equal pay for the extremely low paid workers who provide professional services to the SACS sector. However, Premier Barnett can now remedy this situation by ensuring that this weeks State budget provides extra funding for the non-profit sector and ensuring that the additional funds are directed to the payment of fair wage increases” said Mr Wood.
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