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Women
Australian Workplace Agreements
Award stripping threatens equal pay
By Suzanne Hammond
Federal Industrial Officer
Call us cynics - but after completely forecasting the destruction of the award system in the award rationalisation process, the reduction of working conditions to five minimum standards and the removal of the setting of a fair minimum wage, the Government in their Award Rationalisation discussion paper asks `How should pay equity issues be addressed by the Taskforce.'
The CPSU in their submission to the Taskforce reminded the Government of the importance of having women's work properly valued and remunerated and the need for wide-ranging skill classification structures in formal industrial instruments that recognise women's skill.
We alerted the Taskforce to the findings of the Inquiry into Pay Equity in New Zealand that individualized pay systems worsened pay inequality. Reward for work must not be left to the subjective assessment of an employee's value.
As to the Taskforce's question on how pay equity should be addressed the CPSU reminded them of the various State initiatives in conducting pay equity inquiries and cases taken by unions such as the NSW PSA Librarians Pay Equity Cases.
The Federal Government has lagged behind overseas countries and the Australian States in trying to address the problems of pay equity.
It has also objected to any initiatives to better work and family entitlements for workers. Their proposals to radically rationalise awards and compress skill classifications will only be a step backward in addressing pay equity!
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