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Summer 2006

Women's pay and conditions likely to worsen

Women’s pay and conditions likely to worsen in new industrial landscape

A new report, Women's pay and conditions in an era of changing workplace regulation, has been recently released by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) and the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) examining women's current employment status.

The report identifies five sectors where women are particularly at risk under the new industrial relations regime. They single out child care, aged care, hospitality, retail and cleaning as areas in which women form a large part of the workforce and are particularly reliant on 'minimum conditions' previously set by awards but now determined by the 'fair pay' commission.

The report states that, "traditionally, awards have performed a role beyond defining minimum wage and employment entitlements. In a range of industries and occupations, [such as aged care] they have effectively provided standard employment conditions, particularly in sectors which have high proportions of women employees."

The report identifies aged care as one of five sectors where women are particularly at risk under the new laws.

The authors report that centralized systems like that being scrapped under the Coalition Government's new laws have typically been associated with lower 'gender gaps' in pay. That is, women were more likely to be paid at the same or similar rate to their male colleagues under a system where wage rates and conditions were centrally set, rather than a system that relies on individual bargaining.

The new industrial relations system, with its focus on individual contracts is likely to further disadvantage women in 'minimum conditions sectors' such as aged care and cleaning.

These workers are also those who are most likely to be affected by the new way in which minimum standards in Australia are set.

The report identifies a lack of bargaining power and an ability to negotiate collectively as key reasons for low wages for women in minimum standards industries.

HACSU is currently running an 'Aged Care Workers Deserve Respect' campaign aimed at protecting aged care workers from the new industrial relations laws and ensuring that their wages and conditions are protected. The campaign will attempt to secure an industry wide agreement. You can read more about the campaign on pages 4 & 5.

A full copy of the report is available online at www. hreoc.gov.au/sex_ discrimination/index. html