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 Home News General
International Women’s Day – 8 March 200807 March 2008This International Women’s Day (IWD), we celebrate the recent appointment of the first female National Secretary of the Health Services Union.
National Secretary Kathy Jackson says, "whilst International Women's Day is a day to reflect on how far we have come in terms of removing barriers and reducing discrimination against women, and to celebrate those achievements - it is also an opportunity to consider how far we still have to go in the struggle for equality." A good example of work still to be done was revealed in this week's International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Report on Pay Equity. The global study of sixty-three nations revealed that women across all industries and age groups are being paid on average 16% less than men. "In this day and age, this sort of gender pay disparity is inexcusable" Kathy Jackson said "and we must do more to even up the playing field." "There is an obvious role for unions and unionists to continue working hard to bridge the pay divide in our bargaining and by educating governments, employers and the community." "Another battle still to be won is the quest for a national paid maternity leave scheme. The Rudd Labor government has opened the door for women and unions to again press for the introduction of such a scheme by referring the matter to the Productivity Commission for inquiry and report. Details of the Productivity Commission Inquiry can be found on the HSU website and members and branches are encouraged to participate by making a submission." "Of course there are many other areas such as work/life balance and retirement incomes where there remains a lot of work to be done to improve the position of women workers." Kathy Jackson concludes, "So on this IWD, let's celebrate our many achievements on behalf of women, but let's also re-commit to pursuing these outstanding issues to make our society more fair and equal for women in the future." HSU members are encouraged to participate in IWD activities in your state or local area. For information on what's on in your neck of the woods, visit the Office for Women webpage at: and click on your state or territory on the map of Australia. |
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© 2003 Health Services Union (HSU) |
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