Service and Food Workers Union Welcomes Supreme Court Decision

The Service and Food Workers Union has welcomed today’s Supreme Court decision not to hear a further appeal by Terranova against caregiver Kristine Bartlett’s quest for equal pay.

Both the Employment Court and Court of Appeal had already accepted the union’s argument that the courts needed to go outside of the aged care sector to decide whether the Equal Pay Act was being applied properly in regards to the pay rates of caregivers such as Kristine Bartlett.

Service and Food Workers National Secretary John Ryall said the Supreme Court decision meant that Kristine Bartlett and fellow caregivers could now argue their case before the Employment Court and present evidence on the undervaluing of their work.

“Female aged care workers and those in similar sectors will be over the moon that they are now able to go outside of their industries to look at rates of pay in male jobs that required similar skills, experience and degree of effort,” said John Ryall.

“The Supreme Court has opened the door for a faster resolution of equal pay for undervalued low paid aged care workers and an end to systematic historical gender discrimination in this sector.

“The union hopes that there can be a co-operative process between the government, the employers and the unions to get a speedy resolution to an issue that has dragged on for too long.”

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