Women

Equity Issues

Women to be worse off under contracts

MAYDAY! for Women Workers says Work and Family experts.

By Suzanne Hammond
Federal Women's Industrial Offcer

The National Pay Equity Coalition and other women's organisations have told the ACTU they think the Federal Government's industrial relations plans for more IR 'reforms' are going to worse for women in the workforce.

The expert Womens' groups, with specialist workplace relations experience, convened by the broad-based womens' umbrella group, National Pay Equity Coalition and "Womens' Electoral Lobby "( WEL) met on Sunday May 1st.

The meeting discussed the Federal Government's proposed industrial relations agenda and the effect on women workers. They looked at their data on womens wages and the conditions in all industries for women over the last 8 years under the Coalition Government workplace policy.

The meeting studied the plans of the Federal Government. Especially these new proposals forshadowed by the Federal Government.

The Womens expert group concluded "...( they )will have a detrimental impact on women workers and that we shall (have to ) campaign against them.

In a strongly worded letter to the ACTU the NPEC and WEL said... "That removing the minimum wage case from the hands of the Industrial Relations Commission, the independent umpire, will have an adverse impact on many women workers who are reliant on a fair minimum wage adjustment made by an independent body."

Only State I R Tribunals have worked on Pay Equity

They were just as tough on the plans to shift all workers to a single Federal I R system and sideline the States I R Tribunals:

"We also fear that Federal Government proposals to abolish the State industrial systems will disadvantage many women workers who are reliant on common rule awards to set their wages and conditions of employment.

"We recognise that the various State Tribunals have made advances in equal remuneration that have not been achieved through the Federal jurisdiction.

AWAs Not helping Women

They said making it hard for union, or collective, negotiations, and pushing individual contracts (AWAs) won't help women.:

"We are also concerned that Government proposals will make collective bargaining more difficult and will undermine negotiated collective agreements.

After looking at the ABS and expert workforce statistics they said:

"We acknowledge that women covered by collective agreements have greater employment rights than women whose employment conditions are governed by individual contracts.

No Advantage in Disadvantage Test:

We also fear that changes to awards and the No disadvantage test will rob many women of fair employment conditions.

In the end the Womens Groups told the ACTU:

"The meeting decided to campaign against Government proposals."

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/women/20050502_pay.html
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005