Canberra Community Workers Fight For Fair
ASU launch new fight in the Fair Work Commission
25June 2024
The Australian Services Union has asked the Fair Work Commission to intervene in its fight to secure basic leave entitlements for ACT community services workers.
Tuesday’s application seeks to stop the ACT government shortchanging community sector workers on paid parental, family and domestic violence leave available to the territory’s public sector.
ASU NSW & ACT Secretary Angus McFarland said the Albanese government’s industrial relations reforms empowered the Commission to compel governments to negotiate on publicly funded sectors.
The union is seeking to close the gap on conditions provided to members covered by the Community Sector Multiple Enterprise Agreement (MEA). It covers 18 Canberra community services and more than 80 per cent of workers are women.
“For more than a year, the ACT government has refused to listen. We are asking the Fair Work Commission to intervene to force the government to the negotiating table to give essential workers a fair and equitable deal,” Mr McFarland said.
“These workers are doing some of the toughest jobs out there. They are on the frontline of the homelessness crisis, and dealing with the endemic of domestic and sexual violence, every day.
“To thank them, the ACT government is withholding paid parental, and paid family and domestic violence, leave that is available to those in the public sector.
“There aren’t enough community service workers as it is. Continuing to deny them basic conditions readily available to government employees will only exacerbate the shortage.
“We are optimistic the Fair Work Commission can facilitate a sensible and long-overdue outcome for the ACT’s community service workers.”
Romy Listo, an ASU delegate and senior health promotions officer at Women's Health Matters, said the government would come to the bargaining table if it was serious about its commitment to gender equality.
"I work for a women's organisation and all of my coworkers are women, and we're not unlike other organisations on the agreement. We do gendered work that is about caring for marginalised people in the community. This is about pay and paid parental leave equity for women workers," Dr Listo said.
"If our government is serious about their commitment gender equality, they will come to the table to bargain with us."
"The community sector provides critical services and advice for our ACT government. We are funded by the ACT government, but we are not valued or treated the same as other workers. We deserve to be valued for our work - we are essential, skilled workers and the public sector relies on our expertise."
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