A win for Australia’s Community Workers

MEDIA RELEASE

1 February 2012

Australian Community Workers Association CEO Ms Lynda Ford congratulates Fair Work Australia on its decision to redress the pay inequality of the many thousands of, mainly female, workers in the social and community services sector.  A pay increase for the 150,000 workers of between 19% and 41% will be phased in over eight years, starting from 1 December 2012. 

Ms Ford went on to say however, “that workers in the sector have been significantly disadvantaged over a very long period of time and will continue to be so until the end of the decade. By then many of the workers who have borne the financial weight of this economic injustice will be retired and not receive any real benefit from this decision”. 

Ms Ford also congratulated the Australian Services Union for bringing the test case to Fair Work Australia and the Prime Minister Ms Julia Gillard for her public support of the campaign.  

Ms Ford commented that the decision is good for all workers in the sector and she wholeheartedly supports the sentiment expressed by Lisa Darmanin, assistant secretary of the ASU, who said women would now get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.