PAY EQUITY

1
PAY EQUITY
PAY EQUITY IN QUEENSLAND
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OUTLINE OF FIRST REPORT Worth Valuing

• Objective of first inquiry
• Findings
• Recommendations
• Achievements
• - legislative amendments
• - the Equal Remuneration Principle

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Causes of Pay Inequity

• Occupational segregation
• Concentration at lower end of occupational
  hierarchy
• Gender assumptions in work value assessments
• Poor bargaining position of female dominated
  occupations and industries
• Education (lack of formal qualifications)
• Family responsibilities
• Higher proportion of women in casual employment
  working less than full time hours

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Undervaluation Profile

• Female dominated
• Female characterisation of work
• No work value exercise
• Inadequate application of equal pay principles
• Weak union/Few union members
• Consent awards/agreements
• Large component of casual workers

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Undervaluation Profile (cont)

• Lack of, or inadequate recognition of
  qualifications (including misalignment of
  qualifications)
• Deprivation of access to training and career
  paths
• Small workplaces
• New industry or occupation
• Service industry
• Home-based occupation

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ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF WORK

• Lifting vs endurance
• Lifting of heavy objects vs lifting of heavy
  patients
• Supervising vs coordination
• Responsibility for finances and equipment vs
  responsibility for the education of children
• Stress of noise of machinery vs stress of caring
  for sick/ people with a disability
• Dirty work vs exposure to disease and human waste

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TYPICAL FEMALE SKILLS(Dental Assistants Case
Study)

• Delegated responsibility or authority
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Anticipatory skills
• Dexterity
• Close concentration and accuracy
• Multi-tasking
• Organisational skills
• Domestic skills
• Use of terms such as routine, basic and standard
• OTHER TYPICAL FEMALE SKILLS
• Nurturing and caring
• Responding to complaints from the public

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LEGISLATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

• Commission to more rigorously
• examine awards and agreements
  to ensure pay equity
• Minimum wage for all workers
• Education campaign regarding call centre
  employees
• Draft pay equity principles
• Funding for organisations undertaking pay
  equity cases in the QIRC

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ACHIEVEMENTSFIRST INQUIRY

• Legislative amendments
• Equal Remuneration Principle and
• Dental Assistants and Child Care
• cases
• - delivered significant
• improvements in pay and
• conditions and
• - recognition of duties, skills and
• features of work not previously
• identified or valued.

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THE 2007 PAY EQUITY INQUIRY

• THE OBJECTIVE OF THE INQUIRY
• - review of progress since 2000/01
  Inquiry
• - assess the impact of Work Choices on
• - pay equity measures
• - industries, occupations and individuals
• - examine models and policy responses in
  Australia and overseas
• - consider how to progress pay equity in
• context of WorkChoices.

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PROCESS AND REPORT

• THE PROCESS
• - discussion paper
• - call for submissions
• - oral evidence and
• written and oral submissions.
• THE REPORT
• Pay Equity Time to Act

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PAY EQUITY INITIATIVES IN AUSTRALIA

• Western Australia
• - Establishment of pay equity unit
• - Education of workplace participants
• - Assistance to businesses undertaking pay
  equity
• audits
• Victoria
• - Focus on need to facilitate and support
  best
• practice approach
• - Partnership approach e.g. finance sector
• Commonwealth Government EOWA
• - Employer of Choice for Women citations
  include
• pay equity considerations
• - Pay equity audit tool

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OVERSEAS PAY EQUITY INITIATIVES

• New Zealand
• Quebec
• - Legislative model
• - Recognized as most advanced pay equity
  policy

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ADVANCING PAY EQUITY IN QUEENSLAND

• 3 broad approaches to pay equity
• - Complaints based human rights model
• - System reliant on centralized wage fixing
• - Proactive workplace based model
• Conclusions from interstate and
• overseas experiences

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• To enable the Queensland Government to remain
• at the forefront of delivering pay equity the
• 2007 Pay Equity Inquiry made 17
  recommendations.
• Business benefits of implementing a formal
• process recognized.
• The outcomes for women employees will ensure
• they are acknowledged as equally productive
• and valuable employees making a positive
• contribution to the economy.

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RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED

• Longitudinal survey data to assess
• movements in effects on gender pay
• equity
• Continuation of funding to pay equity
• cases
• Amendments to Anti-Discrimination Act
• 1991
• - right to request/reasonable
• consideration of flexible work practices
• - QIRC to share jurisdiction with ADT re
• complaints in area of work.

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LEGISLATIVE MODEL RECOMMENDED

• Pay equity is not just an industrial
• issue
• Pay equity advances EEO and
• eliminates discrimination
• Academic evidence that
• legislation can achieve gender
• equity in workplaces
• Limitations of federal legislation

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PAY EQUITY ACT
That the Queensland Government enact a Pay
Equity Act which has as its principal object the
achievement of pay equity by the promotion of
equal opportunity and the prevention of
discrimination. The Pay Equity Act apply to
employers employing 15 or more employees.
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PROPOSED PAY EQUITY ACT PROVISIONS

• The development of pay equity plans
• Establishment of pay equity committees with
• predominance of women members
• Legally binding documentation of pay equity
• adjustments
• Implementation of adjustments where pay
• inequity found
• Mandatory reporting
• Dispute resolution
• Sanctions for non-compliance

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PAY EQUITY COMMISSION

• A Pay Equity Commission
• Relations.
• Pay Equity Commissioner and
• Pay Equity Tribunal.

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Recent Pay Equity Cases - Qld

• Community Services Workers
• Disability Support Workers

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FUTURE FOR PAY EQUITY

• Where to now with the changes to
• Workchoices legislation?
• House of Reps Standing Committee on
  Employment and Workplace Relations Inquiry
  into pay equity and associated issues
  related to increasing female participation
  in the workforce