What is the review?
The Fair Work Commission has determined that award pay rates in certain industrial awards, primarily comprised of female workforces, do not ensure equal pay.
In response to the Fair Work Commission’s review, Fams and many of our partners have made submissions.
Here are our key issues:
- We welcome attempts to address historical undervaluation, but we are concerned that the proposed changes could have unintended outcomes leaving our sector worse off by aligning to other awards that aren’t truly comparable.
- The risks of workforce disruption, when our sector is already facing workforce challenges.
- There is uncertainty in terms of how funding bodies will respond to changes or reductions in award rates – ultimately undermining the ability for our sector to offer competitive wages to staff.
What we propose
We’ve made three key proposals to the Fair Work Commission. This includes:
- A request for sector specific consultation
- A clear implementation plan, prioritising minimal service disruption.
- Supporting the Australian Services Unions proposal to maintain the current Schedule B and ERO pay rates.
