Community Sector Holds Mass Public Meeting in Hindmarsh Square

Community Sector Holds Mass Public Meeting in Hindmarsh Square as Union and Federal Government Reach Historic Agreement

From 4.00pm to 5.00pm this Tuesday 10 November community sector workers, clients, employers and peak bodies will meet in Hindmarsh Square (western side), corner Grenfell and Pulteney streets.

They will meet to discuss how to address urgent workforce development issues threatening the community sector's future capacity to provide high quality services to vulnerable and disadvantaged South Australians.

The Union for community sector workers the Australian Services Union (ASU) is organising the event and anticipates around three hundred in attendance.

"Community services workers in South Australia work at the coal face of need in shelters, disability support organisations, emergency accommodation, youth and family support programmes, indigenous organisations and many other settings. They are highly committed to working with their clients to make a real difference in their lives but are finding it difficult to continue to do so in an environment where the complexity of need is increasing and where inadequate funding to the sector means low pay, short term contracts and high levels of stress" says ASU Branch Secretary Katrine Hildyard.

"With 52% of workers in the sector now saying they are not committed to working in the sector in five years time, employers finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain skilled staff and clients being affected by an inconsistent workforce, workforce issues in the sector must be urgently addressed" says Katrine Hildyard.

The meeting follows last week's announcement of an historic agreement between the Australian Government and the Australian Services Union which will see the social and community services sector as the test case for pay equity in the new Federal Industrial Relations system.

This agreement means that the very first National equal remuneration case under the new Fair Work Act will be run by ASU with the support and co-operation of the Australian Government.

ASU Branch Secretary Katrine Hildyard says that the agreement will provide an unprecedented opportunity to argue for significant pay increases based on pay equity principles to flow to social and community sector workers throughout the country.

"The ASU and the Australian Government have reached agreement which potentially lays a foundation to provide equity and fairness for thousands of South Australian workers. It is nation-building in the workplace,"

"As Union for social and community services, the ASU looks forward to achieving pay equity in this important section of the South Australian economy which is at the forefront of delivering social inclusion to our state" Katrine Hildyard says.

Tuesday's historic meeting will celebrate the historic agreement - a landmark in the ASU's campaign to strengthen the sector for the future.

For information and comment

For further information and to arrange interviews contact Katrine Hildyard on 8363 1322 or 0418 847 865.