WOMEN'S FOCUS

The AEU has a proud history of supporting its women members, who represent 70% of the membership nationally. The AEU has negotiated significant advances for women in the workplace and will continue to work collectively to address women's issues. It is important that women members get involved in the AEU at all levels.

The AEU Women's Officer is Cathy Smith.

Contact: 6272-7900 or email csmith@aeuact.asn.au

Sub-Branch Women's Contact Officer [WCO]

Every Sub-Branch is encouraged to have this position filled! At the beginning of each year nominations are called for WCOs through the Sub-Branch Representative nomination process. However, the WCO position may be filled at any time during the year by contacting the ACT Branch Women's Officer, Cathy Smith on 6272-7900 or csmith@aeuact.asn.au

About the role for Women's Contact Officers

Women's Training

The AEU provides training for financial members, including training specifically for women members. See the current AEU Training Program for details.

White Ribbon Day Everyday

Posted 22/2/2010

Amanda Keddie and Martin Mills are offering opportunities for teachers, principals, policymakers and others concerned with violence against girls and women and marginalised boys and men, to attend a lecture and/or participate in workshops that draw on research material from their recent book, Teaching Boys: Developing Classroom Practices that Work. These sessions demonstrate some of the ways in which teachers and schools can work with boys to address social problems associated with violence. For more details or to organise a seminar or workshop for your cluster or staff, read the Teaching Boys - Flyer.

PAY EQUITY

Pay Equity case

Posted 22/3/2010

A landmark pay equity case being led by the Australian Services Union is underway to secure fairer pay for more than 200,000 women in social and community services jobs [which also involves AEU members is some States]. The case will be the first to test the new equal pay provisions of the Fair Work Act and a successful outcome will help establish a pay equity standard for other industries. Join the ASU's Pay Up campaign in support of this test case and send a "kiss" to Julia Gillard to say "no more lip service on pay equity"!

Equal Pay Alliance & Equal Pay Day

Posted 22/3/2010

An alliance of over 100 organisations has been formed to lobby for equal pay for women. The first Equal Pay Day was held on September 1, 2009, which signified the point into a year that a woman must work to earn what a man made in the previous financial year. The exact day for 2010 won’t be known until after the financial year when data becomes available.

Making it Fair - Pay Equity Inquiry Report released

Posted 24/11/2009

The Pay Equity Inquiry Report has been released and contains significant recommendations, including:

amending the Fair Work Act to institutionalise a stronger commitment to pay equity;
granting the Sex Discrimination Commissioner greater powers to act on wage discrimination; and
establishing a pay equity unit within Fair Work Australia with a broad mandate for change.

The current pay gap between the male and female average wage stands at 17% or $11,000. The AEU, along with other unions, will continue the campaign to ensure the government enacts the recommendations in the report.

ACTU media release

Unions welcome Federal Paid Maternity Leave Scheme

Posted 22/3/2009

On Mothers Day, 10 May 2009, Unions welcomed the historic introduction of a universal, government-funded paid maternity leave scheme covering the majority of Australian women and their families. This scheme will not commence until January 2011. There will be another Federal Budget and election in the meantime. Click here for more details

Union members must remain vigilant on two counts:

ensure that politicians continue to understand that Australians support such a scheme;
realise that during bargaining for a new Agreement, employers and employees will discuss existing employer Paid Parental Leave [PPL] provisions in the light of the introduction of a new Federal scheme and employers are likely to try to reduce these employer-funded provisions. Unions will fight this! Keep informed, keep involved .... www.actu.asn.au and to go Campaigns.

ACT public sector workers get paid maternity leave extended to 18 weeks

Posted 22/6/2009

On 4 May 2009, the ACT Government announced it will introduce the nation's most generous whole of government paid maternity leave scheme for public sector workers and double bonding leave.

Body Image

Posted 22/6/2009

Teachers say eating disorders, body image issues and low self-esteem are affecting ever-younger groups of students, symptoms of the increasing sexualization of children. But resources, support and information is at hand.

Body Trouble: The ACT Teacher, June 2009.

Women's Human Rights education kit launched

Posted 22/12/2008

The Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Government Office for Women today released Women's Human Rights an educational kit of fact sheets about the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women [CEDAW]. Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick says, "The Women's Human Rights education kit provides people with a clear and basic understanding of international human rights, particularly as they relate to women. Understanding our rights is a good step towards ensuring that they are protected and fulfilled, so I hope this kit gives people a good grounding to engage with the human rights of women in their work and every day life."

The kit can be downloaded from the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

Women's Activist Kit [also on the Publications page]

In user-friendly fact sheet format, the Women's Activist Kit gives useful information to teachers on how to get active locally on a wide variety of issues of importance to women.

Introduction to the Kit

Using the Women's Activist Kit

Why Women's Activism

Contemporary challenges for Women and Education Unions