Historic Achievement for the Community Services Sector

Historic Referral of the Sector to the Federal Industrial Relations System

For over three years ASU members working in community services across Australia have been working on their campaign to strengthen their sector for the future. Members would have seen numerous reports of progress with this campaign.

In early November after months of negotiation and years of highlighting the need to urgently address workforce issues in order for the sector to continue to provide high quality services to our most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens, a significant milestone in this campaign was achieved.

The ASU has struck an historic agreement with the Australian Government for a National Equal Pay case for all Australian community services workers. The Agreement acknowledges the historic nature of the Queensland community services decision in relation to equal remuneration (which delivered 18 to 37% increases) and the desire of the ASU to nationally achieve this outcome The Australian Services Union and the Australian Government's agreement will see the social and community services sector as the test case for pay equity in the new Federal Industrial Relations system. As such, the Agreement is strongly supported by the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

This agreement means that the very first national equal remuneration case under the new Fair Work Act will be run by ASU with the support and co-operation of the Australian Government.

The agreement goes to the very heart of addressing one of the key issues impacting community services workers and employers and will go a long way to addressing the crisis facing the workforce.

It will provide an unprecedented opportunity to argue for significant pay increases based on pay equity principles to flow to social and community sector workers throughout the country. The agreement potentially lays a foundation to provide equity and fairness for tens of thousands of Australian workers. It is nation-building in the workplace. Achieving pay equity in this key part of the Australian economy is imperative to delivering real social inclusion in Australia.

The case will seek pay rises based on pay equity and work value to support retention of staff and address a chronic skills shortage in the sector by delivering substantial wage rises for the predominantly female workforce - 87% of community services workers are women.

The agreement secures the support of the Federal Government in conducting a single Equal Pay case for all Australian community services workers. The Australian Government will intervene in the case in support of the legal principles on which the case is to be argued - equal pay - and will assist in presenting evidence about the workforce issues that are faced by the industry.

The hearings for the Equal Pay case will commence next year. If the remuneration case is successful, a phase-in of enhanced wages and conditions will provide welcome relief to both employees and employers in the sector.

What can I do?

The case's success will require a massive effort from community services workers, employers and peak bodies in terms of providing evidence about the work that the sector performs.

More than ever, it will require us to be a truly active, strong and united Union and sector to ensure that funding for any outcomes from the case is secured from State and Territory Governments as well as the Federal Government.

ASU membership in the community services sector has been growing since our campaign in the sector commenced; we look forward to seeing it continue to grow in support of this next phase of our work.

Talk with your co-workers today about joining their Union and helping to strengthen the community services sector for the future.

Referral of the Community Services Sector to the National System.

Alongside the case, the social and community services sector will be referred to the national system. This means the confusion of whether community sector employees and employers are in the State or National industrial relations system will be settled once and for all - the whole industry will be transferred to the national system.

Award Modernisation? The draft modern Award for the community services sector is now out for consultation and submissions. As it has done in other industries and sectors (see article on page ... about Award modernisation in the airlines industry), your ASU will lobby during this period to ensure that the new modern Award secures all existing conditions and protects them for the future. For now, potential negative impacts on the sector of award modernisation in relation to pay have been resolved. Everyone will keep all of their current conditions that relate to pay until after the Equal Pay case.

Congratulations to all members in community services on your work to date. We look forward to further achievements in 2010 which will see the sector able to continue to deliver to our most vulnerable community members.

Download File:
Heads Of Agreement - The Document [ pdf ]