Issue No 3 | 05 March 1999 | |
EconomicsShaw To Snip At Gender Pay GapsBy Peter Lewis
The Carr Labor Government has cleared the way for wage rises for women in female-dominated industries such as hairdressing, clothing and seafood processing.
Endorsing a ground breaking report into gender wage equity conducted by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, Attorney General Jeff Shaw this week promised to open a test case for equal remuneration if he is re-elected on March 27. Mr Shaw said the government would ask the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to develop a new equal pay principle which would then be applied to all relevant awards. This would provide the mechanism for unions representing workers in female-dominated industries to argue for base increase in wages. These principles would give greater emphasis to interpersonal skills compared to the traditional male-oriented skills such as the handling of machinery. Labor Council secretary Michael Costa said the new principle would give unions the opportunity to argue for pay rises for women workers on a case by case basis. Importantly, it would also allow unions to campaign and organise around these issues. "If accepted, the recommendations in this report will begin the process for ending indirect discrimination in women's work, discrimination that still leaves women paid up to 30 per cent less than men in comparable industries," Mr Costa said. "By asking what things we vale when we set wage levels, the Carr Government is placing itself at the forefront of gender pay equity internationally." Mr Costa said the onus was now on the State Opposition to endorse the Pay Equity report, in light of calls by the Employer Federation to ignore it. Launching the Government's response at a hairdressing college, Mr Shaw said the Carr government had implemented a range of policies to improve the plight of women workers, including: - outlawing discrimination against carers on the basis of family responsibility - reviewing maternity and parental leave entitlements - introducing maternity leave for long-term casual workers - and promoting family-friendly work practises. Minister for Women Faye Lo Po described the policy as an "historic milestone for thousands of women working in jobs that have been underpaid for too long. "This is about achieving respect and fairness for women who have been underpaid," she said.
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Interview: How Organising Works The ACTU�s Sarah Kaine is part of a new breed of union organiser who help workers stand up for themselves. Unions: Big Boys Bank on Mergers Mergers of the big banks are back on the agenda, and the Finance Sector Union is leading the community campaign against them. History: Commemorating Our Dear Departed Equal Pay Activists Two women who deserve special recognition and commemoration as part of our Women's Day celebrations are Eileen Powell and Edna Ryan, both of who played a crucial role in the struggle for equal pay. Legal: New Judge Announces Zero Tolerance Of Pay Inequity In NSW The NSW Industrial Relations Commission is training its sights on industrial raw-deals for women, and targeting the traditional under-valuation of women's work. Review: Keep the Australia in Australian Television. Local content quotas for Australian television are under threat from our Kiwi cousins. Campaign Diary: Radical Conservatives Raise Their Own Bar This Monday writs are issued for the state election, The phoney campaign ends and the real one begins; and the issue of stability, the need for it and the lack of it, is set to dominate the next four weeks.
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