SACS Equal Pay Case – Education & Information Sessions
July 2012 onwards

Community & Disability Sector Workers – equal pay is on its way! Do you need to know more? The Australian Government has provided funding for education and information sessions to help the sector gain a better understanding of how these changes will impact on the industry, some sessions geared towards employers and some towards employees. To find out more, visit our website. Read more…

Final victory in Equal Pay Case for community workers
22 June 2012

Today at noon, Fair Work Australia handed down a final decision in the Equal Pay Case for social and community services (SACS) workers. The decision concerned the timetable for pay increases that flow from their earlier decision of 1 February 2012. Read more…

EQUAL PAY DAY ARRIVES AT LAST for community workers
1 February 2012

Community workers have today been handed long awaited pay rises in a historic decision by Fair Work Australia in the equal pay case. Read more…

Community workers applaud Prime Minister’s latest commitment to equal pay
10 November 2011

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has today made a historic commitment to equal pay for women by coming to an agreement with the Australian Services Union (ASU) on appropriate pay increases for low-paid community workers represented by the Union. Read more…

Positive discussions lead to extension of talks to achieve equal pay
24 October 2011

The federal government has asked Fair Work Australia to allow more time for the Government and the ASU to continue their discussions about a potential agreement on equal pay. Read more…

Support Qld SACS workers to get the equal pay rates they’ve earned
28 September 2011

On 1 October 2011, thousands of Queensland Social and Community Services (SACS) workers were expecting to receive the pay equity wage rates they won back in 2009. SACS workers at employers already paying the pay equity wage rates were expecting this entitlement to be finally protected by law. Instead, the Federal Government repealed the Regulation which was to enshrine the pay equity wage rates, leaving SACS workers in the lurch. The ASU is asking members and supporters to urge the Federal Government to reconsider and live up to their commitments. Read more…

Union welcomes funding announcement for community workers
6 July 2011

The Australian Services Union has welcomed today’s announcement by the Federal Government to commit extra funding for the pay increases that are expected to be awarded in the Union’s Equal Pay Case for community and disability workers. Read more…

Great crowds across Australia for Pay Up Day of Action
8 June 2011

Find links to photos, videos and commentary here…

8 June Equal Pay Day of Action – it’s time to pay up
27 May 2011

On Wednesday 8 June, all around Australia, social and community services workers and their supporters will be taking to the streets to demand equal pay and telling governments at both the state and federal level that it’s time to pay up! We are at a critical point in our long campaign for wage justice and we need everyone to be part of this action. Read more…

Last week following Fair Work Australia’s historic decision in the Equal Pay Case for social and community services, a lot of media coverage ensued. Two pieces appeared in The Australian that the ASU found to be particularly unbalanced and we wrote seeking a right of reply. Unfortunately, The Australian did not publish our response so we are publishing it here. Read more…

Big win for equal pay, but more to do
16 May 2011

In an historic decision, Fair Work Australia (FWA) ruled today that the ASU and its Equal Pay Case partners have proved that social and community services workers in the not for profit sector are underpaid and that at least part of the reason for that underpayment is gender. However, FWA is seeking further submissions in order to determine the rate of increases. Read more…

SMH: NSW squibs on promise to close pay gap for community workers
29 April 2011

By Sean Nicholls, Sydney Morning Herald: NSW has dramatically reversed its position on a landmark national pay case for tens of thousands of low-paid social and community services workers, mostly women. Read more…

New NSW Government refuses to support equal pay for community workers
29 April 2011

Instead of recognising the valuable work of women in the community sector, the new NSW State Government has taken action to stop low paid workers from receiving pay rises to adequately reflect the value of their work, the Australian Services Union said today. Read more…

Pay equity hearings finish
14 April 2011

The hearing of the pay equity case for workers in the social and community services sector concluded on Tuesday 12th April with final oral submissions by the parties. The case which seeks to significantly improve the wages of non government social, disability and other community services sector workers has been huge. Read more…

Final pay equity submissions filed
1 March 2011

This year has seen intense activity in the social and community services pay equity wage case being pursued by the ASU and four other unions. The claim, which was lodged in March 2010, is rapidly approaching its conclusion after nearly a year of constant activity. Read more…

ASU Looks for Equal Pay
Thursday, 16 December 2010

Article on the great turn out at the Lismore equal pay rally. Read more…

Anger at rally for equal pay
Thursday, 16 December 2010

Melbourne community workers ensured the pressure on employers to support the Equal Pay Case at their rally. Read more…

Article written on the day of the Equal Pay rallies regarding the Federal Government’s clarification of their position on the Equal Pay Case. Read more…

Sydney community workers called on the NSW Government to join the Federal Government in their support for the Equal Pay Case. Read more…

Download the letter from Workplace Minister, Chris Evans, clarifying government’s position on the Equal Pay Case.

The ASU Committee of Management is calling on all members to participate in a Day of Action for Equal Pay on 15 December around the country. We are calling for the whole of the community sector (employers and peaks) to unite to support this action as it is now clear- if we want Equal Pay we will need to fight for it. Read more…

For decades the work of the nation’s 150,000 or so community sector employees – 85 per cent female – has been undervalued and underpaid. Everyone thinks they are wonderful – the Prime Minister included. But no one wants to pay them what they are worth. Read more…

On Thursday 18 November 2010 the Commonwealth Government made its submission to the ASU’s Equal Pay case before Fair Work Australia. The ASU has a number of serious concerns with the Commonwealth’s submission. Click here to read the ASU’s summary of the Commonwealth submission.

Terriffic article in today’s Northern Star about SACS workers in the Northen Rivers area.

“LISMORE disability support worker Jo Groves earns just a few dollars above the minimum wage, yet her vital role saves the State a fortune by keeping vulnerable citizens out of expensive institutional care. Read more…

Feeling the heat. The magnificent response from ASU members to Labor’s submission on the Equal Pay case to is being felt in Canberra. MPs are being inundated with calls from ASU members and supporters, expressing their anger at being let down by Labor. Read more…

Thousands of SACS workers met with their local candidates in the lead up to this year’s federal election.

All candidates from all parties were asked to sign a commitment that they would support the Equal Pay case and fight to ensure that services are funded to meet the costs of Equal Pay without the need to cut services. 33 ALP candidates in NSW signed the commitment and received support from ASU members on that basis. Most of these candidates are now members of parliament and part of the government that has back flipped on its support of Equal Pay. To see which candidates signed a commitment to support Equal Pay click here.

Federal Member for Melbourne and Greens spokesperson on employment and workplace relations Adam Bandt and has called on the Gillard government to reverse its opposition to a union push on equal pay for women. Read more…

We are asking ASU members to call their Federal local member and express your anger and concern that the Federal Government is going weak on Equal Pay – the phone numbers are below. Demand to know what they are going to do about it. Read more…

As part of the Equal Pay case hearing, Fair Work Australia, the ASU and employer organisations have been visiting SACS workplaces. The visitors saw for themselves the important and complex work performed by our members. Please see the latest edition of SACS News for more information.

This Federal Election we have to make Equal Pay for community workers a key election issue. We have to demand that the big political parties make a firm commitment to fund the outcome of our Equal Pay case. Only we can make this happen.

The ASU has nominated 32 key electorates in NSW where we will meet with the candidates from all major political parties demanding that each candidate makes a personal commitment to support full government funding for Equal Pay. Details of this campaign are outlined in the special election issue of SACS News.

Social and Community Services (SACS) workers took the fight for pay equity to the streets of Lismore as they rallied together for a national day of action last week. Wearing red and purple, symbolising both the workers’ movement and the women’s movement, about 150 people gathered at the Lismore Workers Club on Thursday, June 10, before being led by the Samba Blisstas on a march through the streets of Lismore. Read more…