A battle for the future pay rates of underpaid female workers is playing out at the Fair Work Commission, where unions are arguing pay rises awarded in the Aged Care Work Value Case should be applied to other female-dominated industries.
United Workers Union is among unions and sector advocates asking the Commission to value workers using similar methods applied in the Work Value Case, which awarded aged care workers pay increases of up to 28.5 per cent.
Arguments put by unions cover sectors including Early Childhood Education and Care, home care workers in Disability Support, workers in Pharmacies, health support workers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers.
In the early childhood sector, United Workers Union argues the newly-awarded pay rate won by Cert III aged care workers should serve as a benchmark for Cert III educators in early childhood education and care – amounting to a 23 per cent pay increase.
While early educators have won a 15 per cent pay increase, the Federal Government has made it clear that addressing gender undervaluation is key to setting a new standard for wages in female-dominated industries over the longer term.
United Workers Union says the same factors that led the Fair Work Commission to rule that aged care sector employees were historically undervalued based on their gender should apply to workers in the early childhood sector.
The case involves arguments that “invisible work” performed by early educators has never been captured or appropriately valued under the current Children’s Services Award.
“Predictably we are seeing major business groups argue that the Aged Care case cannot possibly be used as a benchmark,” United Workers Union Early Education Director Carolyn Smith said today.
“However the similarities between aged care and the early childhood sector are compelling and we believe the Fair Work Commission will take the practical approach it demonstrated in aged care.
“I would challenge anyone to read an educator’s daily responsibilities and then argue they should be paid $27.17 an hour – or under $54,000 annually.
“A judgment in favour of educators would mean – for the first time – they would receive pay rates that accurately reward their skills and professionalism.”
In educators’ accounts supporting United Workers Union’s submission, workers gave details of their widely varied responsibilities, including:
- Giving children autonomy over their learning experiences.
- Ensuring learning happens within learning themes and the overall curriculum.
- Finding material out-of-hours for learning experiences, including setting them up outside shift times.
- De-escalating situations to prevent children being violent, and dealing with children’s violence when it occurs.
- Properly storing and supplying breast milk.
- Cleaning vomit, faeces and urine.
- Completing daily hazard identification check lists across 22 separate criteria.
- Preparing breakfasts and feeding children in high chairs.
- Explaining to parents why their children haven’t eaten or slept well.
- Calling parents who have not signed in their children.
- Dealing with parents who disclose issues such as domestic violence.
- Dealing with angry parents.