Imagine being a highly skilled female finance worker in one of the largest banks in Australia, but getting paid less than your male colleague who undertakes fewer responsibilities.
Blatant gender inequity, you say? Well, that’s the reality for female staff at a Commonwealth Bank (CBA) branch.
Two FSU members and CBA bank branch staff were recently denied pay rises despite a pay rise being given to a male colleague whose role demands far less expertise.
One of the female staff members is the highest-ranking member of the branch with over 14 years of experience, and is acknowledged for her extensive banking knowledge, leadership skills, and dedication.
Despite holding multiple industry-specific certifications and undertaking a broad range of responsibilities from relationship building to complex problem-solving, she earns only marginally more (88 cents) than her male colleague.
“I perform the role of a Customer Banking Manager (CBM) but due to my branch being too small my actual classification is that of a lower position,” she said.
“According to them [CBA management], because of this classification, I am not eligible to receive any pay increases… But then why is my male colleague eligible to get a pay increase above his classification?
“My job requires me to deal with some extremely complex banking enquiries including trusts, deceased estates, power of attorney, financial management, ATM cash, and much more.
“Why would I do all this extra work for just 88 cents more an hour, if I could just have the responsibilities of a Customer Service Specialist?”
Another female staff member, having transitioned to a higher role within the bank after years of service, found herself similarly disadvantaged.
Despite assuming more complex responsibilities than her male colleague, her requests for fair compensation have been denied, leaving her earning about $2.20 less than him per hour.
“I was asked to fill a higher role; I was hesitant to do this but after further requests I agreed to take on the role,” she said.
My position was then filled, and I was tasked with training the new person taking my role. I was shocked to find out that the person I was training was getting paid more than me.
“I find it totally unacceptable that an employee doing the same job that I had done for 8 years is paid substantially more than I was and is still getting paid more than I am now while in a higher role than him.”
Our member recalled a particularly distressing meeting with her Area Manager when she tried to raise concerns.
“When I explained the situation, he was very dismissive, and annoyed that I was discussing my pay with my coworkers.
“He said that me getting upset was the reason we shouldn’t be discussing our wages with our peers. When I asked for that in writing, of course he refused.”
As expected, our members were fobbed off by CBA when they submitted a complaint to HR. CBA’s response beggared belief.
“We have reviewed your pay and the pay of everyone else in the same roles as you, and we have determined that women on average get paid more than men,” CBA wrote.
But they’ve got nothing to back this claim up.
CBA has made frequent public claims about gender pay parity and about its commitment to eliminating the gender pay gap.
But this case underscores the glaring disparity between the bank’s words and actions and shows the realities of gender inequality at CBA that it continues to try to hide.
Recently released Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) data exposed CBA’s massive 29% gender pay gap, despite their self-reported claims of a 1% gender pay gap.
As we’ve seen, the experiences of female staff at CBA clearly tell a different story.
Since the complaint was made by our members, there have been attempts by CBA to retroactively justify the pay rise given to the male staff member by giving him some additional responsibilities.
It’s nothing more than a cover up. The FSU has been advocating for a thorough review of pay practices not only within CBA but across the entire finance sector. This situation highlights a disturbing lack of pay transparency in the finance sector and shows the urgent need to address these inequities and close the gender pay gap.
Organisations like CBA need to demonstrate accountability and enact change, rather than just professing a commitment to equality without any follow through.
If you’ve experienced blatant gender inequity similar to this in your workplace, please reach out to us – contact our Member Rights Centre on 1300 366 378.
Visit our smashing the gender pay gap campaign page to find out more about what you can do in your workplace to help make it more equitable.
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