Today we launched our campaign to save Equal Pay funding with 40 Community and Disability Sector Organisations as part of the Save Equal Pay Alliance.
In 2012 ASU members won 23-45% pay rises. The Fair Work Commission ordered that Equal Pay increases on our Award wages be phased in over eight years.
The increases awarded by the Fair Work Commission in our Equal Pay case are the legal minimum rates of pay.
When ASU members won Equal Pay, state and federal governments set aside special funds to cover our new higher rates of pay. This guaranteed funding until 2020.
Now it’s clear that many government departments have not budgeted to lift the funding of programs into the future.
If Equal Pay is not funded, jobs and services will be under threat.
We fought to win Equal Pay, we will fight to protect it. With our partners in the Equal Pay Alliance, we stand together today to call on the Federal Government to protect Equal Pay.
ASU Civil Society Partners & Foundation Members of the Save Equal Pay Alliance
Australian Council of Social Services
Local Community Services Association
Mental Health Coordinating Council
National Association of Community Legal Centres
Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies
NSW Council of Social Services
Albion Park Rail Neighbourhood Centre
Child and Family Support Services
Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association
Illawarra Women’s Health Centre
Liverpool Women’s Resource Centre
Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW Inc
Nepean Community & Neighbourhood Services
Newcastle Family Support Services
Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia
Southern Youth and Family Services
The Deli Women and Children’s Centre
RESOLUTION OF BRANCH COUNCIL:
Preamble:
- We celebrate the historic victory of ASU members in 2012 when they won Equal Pay increases of between 23 to 45 % that are still being phased in, up to December next year.
- We celebrate that members not only won a case in the Commission, but also billions of dollars in state and federal funding to cover the costs of these wage increases.
- We recognise that if government departments do not continue to lift the funding of programs into the future to cover the Equal Pay increases we won, then jobs and services are under threat.
Motion:
- You can only achieve social inclusion, equity and justice if community sector workers are properly valued.
- We call on all governments to provide for ongoing funding of our Equal Pay increases.
- Until this happens we will unite in our workplaces, and across our sector, to campaign to Save Equal Pay. We will form a Save Equal Pay Alliance made up of ASU members and organisations that are our Civil Society partners to do this together.
L-R: Katherine McKernan, Homeless NSW; Joanne Yates, DV NSW; Natalie Lang, Secretary ASU; Joanna Quilty, NCOSS; Cassandra Goldie, ACOSS