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Women
Pay Equity
New IR laws kill equal pay bid
By Women's Electoral Lobby
The Women's Electoral Lobby is calling on women in the Senate to vote against the IR Bills.
The new IR Bill will increase inequalities in Australian society as employers have more power, in most cases, than employees and this is particularly the case for women, the Women's Electoral Lobby said today.
The new IR Bill will increase inequalities in Australian society as employers have more power, in most cases, than employees and this is particularly the case for women. While there will be males whose skills are in demand that will benefit, most women will do badly under the new regime. There are a range of problems with the changes that will cost women dearly:
· No one will now be responsible for pay equity cases; currently tending to be part of state based claims, despite continued discrimination against women defined skills eg child care and car park attendants ;
· Low income sole and married mothers (mostly) will be forced into jobs by threats of loss of Centrelink payments so can't negotiate their times and condition, even if it affects family responsibilities.
· These workers will often end up with less cash in hand because of proposed cuts in payments, higher effective marginal tax rates and paying out costs of employment such as fares and child care;
· Loss of 'no disadvantage' test or other forms of scrutiny of lodged agreements will put at risk women in low paid jobs who lack negotiating skills eg those who lack English language skills;
· Low paid 24/7 areas like personal care, which want to reduce costs will be able to pressure vulnerable workers into agreements which may include antisocial hours and broken shifts
· Parents with limited time will take lower pay and poor conditions so they can fit their hours to family requirements;
· There is evidence that women, even in higher positions, do not negotiate as effectively on their own conditions as do equivalent men
There is ample evidence from the government's own figures that use of AWAs increases pay inequities. Women end up with lower pay rates for a range of reasons, including the types of jobs they hold, family limits on their paid work times and prejudices. If those with responsibilities for the care of others are given less control over hours, they will be less able to provide the care for others.
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