Issue No 45 | 10 March 2000 | |
NewsWomen Demand Better Pay from Faye
'International Women's Day is a day to take action,' according to a media release from the office of Faye Lo Po', the NSW Minister of Women. Women from the social and community service sector did just that on Wednesday.
They braved the wind and rain outside a number of IWD functions and sent a strong message to Lo'Po and other influential women about the appalling state of community services in New South Wales. Thirty women from the Australian Services Union kickstarted the day at 6.30 am outside a Unifem breakfast in the CBD hosted by Lo'Po and continued the message at an evening function hosted by Bob Carr in Government House. The protests highlighted the NSW Government's 'hands off' stance to the SACS award, the worst in the country, and the inadequate funding for organisations in the sector. The SACS sector covers non-profit community services for the aged, homeless, people with disabilities, young people, women and families in need. Faye Lo'Po is also the Minister of Social and Community Services. ASU member Ros Bragg says Lo Po' has a duty as the Minister of Women to support the ASU SACS Award campaign. 'She's a member of a political party committed to improving worker conditions and women's rights. As Minister of Community Services, Aged Care and Disability Services she must show a genuine commitment by promoting an improved award,' she said. Poor public perception Pamela Foster from the Women's Refuge Resource Centre says there is a poor public understanding about the level of professionalism and skills required in the sector. 'There is a perception that it is about offering a cup of tea and a bit of a chat. It's seen as women's work and so undervalued,' she said. 'The SACS sector especially is important in the political climate we are in. There are more disadvantaged people needing more support.' Let's celebrate and reflect Danielle Castles from the Deli says while International Women's Day is seen as a celebration it should also be a day to reflect. 'Some things still haven't been achieved - like fair pay in social and community services,' she said. Danielle too is unhappy about Faye LoPo's low profile around pay and work conditions in the community sector. 'She hasn't had much impact. She's silent about our issues and that's not good enough. She's in a position where she can influence what happens in our sector.' ASU Secretary Alison Peters says Faye Lo'Po and the State Government should explain why they can't find money for decent pay for community sector workers 'At the end of the day if they don't support these services the responsibility will fall back on the Government,' she said. The raw deal � Eighty percent of social and community services workers are women � The average salary is $25,000 (the average Australian average worker earns $38,000) � The NSW Government's refusal to fund services to meet award obligations undermines pay equity in this female dominated industry. � NSW has the lowest award rates for Social and Community Services workers in Australia despite having a Labor Government
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Interview: Working Women Nareen Young talks about how services are being delivered to our most vulnerable workers - and what unions need to do to make them their own. Unions: Into the New Frontier IT professionals are part of the new workforce that unions need to win over - and while they are often contractors, they're workers too. History: Handling The Ladies 1943 - women were filling the gap in the workforce left by the diggers abroad and Australian managers needed some advice on how to deal with these strange creatures. Technology: Building The Hypermacho Man In a stinging critque of the �Wired� culture, Melanie Stewart Miller argues digital cultural is creating a new super-Man. International: The Long March Home Trade union women round the world used International Women�s Day to launch the World March of Women Against Poverty and Violence. Satire: Kerosene Dilution Racket The nursing home industry has been rocked by a new scandal with the revelation that some unscrupulous proprietors have been diluting their patients� kerosene baths with illicit liquids. Review: Power and the Back Bar In an upcoming book, Julia Gillard argues the ALP retains a male culture that is fast losing step with contemporary society.
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