50 years on, women short-changed

Date: 29 June 2001

Australian women earn $166 a week less than men, despite 50 years of action for equal pay, and the situation is getting worse.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow today called on the Federal Government to take action to reverse the growing gap in pay between men and women.

Ms Burrow's comments mark the 50th anniversary today of the International Labor Organisation's Equal Pay Convention, which has been ratified by 137 countries since its adoption in 1951.

"The value of women's work has never been properly recognised in Australia. The Howard Government's policies are undermining the modest but important gains won by women workers since the first national equal pay case in 1969," Ms Burrow said.

Official figures show the wages/gender gap has worsened under the Howard Government. Latest Australian Taxation Office data for 1998-99 shows the average taxable income for men ($34,460) was more than 46 per cent higher than for women ($23,599) - an increase of more than one per cent since 1995-96.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the gap between male and female average weekly pay packets stretched from $158.40 in May 1998 to $166.10 in May 2000. In general, women workers continue to earn only two-thirds as much as men.

"It's discriminatory and unacceptable that in 2001 women do not receive pay equity. Along with cuts to child care, education, health and the GST, women are under extra financial hardship, but the Prime Minister shows no concern," Ms Burrow said.

"This will be a vote-changing issue for many women later this year.

"The ACTU's test cases on maternity leave for casual workers and reasonable working hours will go some way to improving the situation of women in the workforce, but much more needs to be done," Ms Burrow said.

The ACTU Executive will discuss the equal pay issue when it meets in Melbourne next week.

For further information

Contact:	Jeremy Vermeesch
Union:	ACTU
Phone:	03 9663 5266
Contact Mobile:	0408 513 849
Fax:	03 9663 8220
Email:	media@actu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.actu.asn.au/

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