Vic Budget Funds Community Services Worker Pay Rise
5 May 2015 at 4:59 pm
The newly elected Victorian Labor Government’s first Budget includes an additional $935 million to provide pay increases to workers employed in the non-government social and community services sector without impacting on services.
The mostly female workforce is employed across the community sector in areas such as caring for people with disabilities, homelessness and children in out-of-home care programs.
The Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, Martin Foley said Fair Work Australia’s Equal Remuneration Order, handed down in 2012, ordered pay increases for the traditionally underpaid workers in the non-government social and community services sector.
“The funding will compensate non-government organisations for the Fair Work Australia ordered wage increases to ensure the sector can maintain services to their clients,” Foley said.
Fair Work Australia’s decision allowed for pay increases ranging from 19 to 41 per cent to bring workers employed in the non-government social and community services sector into line with public sector workers.
Fair Work Australia also found that a gender gap had opened up between the pay rates of workers in the government and non-government sectors.
