Women’s pay catches up with men … 66 days late

Saturday marks Equal Pay Day, held 66 days after the end of the financial year, to acknowledge the moment when women will finally have earned the same amount, on average, that men earn in a year.

Australian Services Union community services delegates met today to observe the occasion and plan the next phase of their National Campaign for Equal Pay.

The ASU Assistant National Secretary Linda White said that it was an important day to raise awareness of the pay gap in the business sector and to keep the pay equity debate on the agenda.

Drawing from information provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, women are calculated to earn 18% less than men.

"It is crucial that this issue continues to get the attention it deserves. Since the 70s the pay gap, rather than improving, has only increased. Ignoring this trend is simply no longer an option."

Ms White said that the need to take action on this issue was one of the motivations for lodging the equal pay test case that the Australian Services Union currently has before Fair Work Australia. The case is arguing for pay rises for those working in the female-dominated community sector.

"The findings from this case will go a long way to establishing just how committed Australia is to genuinely taking steps to achieving pay parity," said Ms White.

"Should Fair Work Australia, at the end of the case, recommend wage increases it will be crucial that whoever forms a government in the coming days supports this decision in the form of funding

"Our communities can not afford to have services cut and our workers can not afford to continue living on their current wages.

"So we are calling on our leaders to commit to ensuring that community services will no longer need to make this choice and increase funding to our community sector.

The full bench of Fair Work Australia is currently undergoing inspections of social and community services work places and hearings will continue until late October.

Case details
6-10 and 13-16 September: Inspections by Fair Work Australia Full Bench of SACS workplaces
16 September: Commonwealth scheduled to file material regarding the case
23 September: Other employer groups scheduled to file further material
4 October: ASU scheduled to reply to filed material
5-8 and 25-29 October: Case listed for hearing

Further information
Linda White 0419 507 809
Laura Maclean 0423 377 567

ACTU: Equal Pay Day 2010 - unacceptable that Australian women are earning 18% less than men
The unacceptable pay gap between Australian women and men widened in the last financial year with full-time working women earning 18% less than men, say unions.

You can download the full ACTU media release below or view it online.

Download File:
Equal Pay Day Alert ACTU [ pdf ]