Progress on Family and Domestic Violence Leave
It’s been a busy start to the year when it comes to taking action on our FSU women’s agenda. We started 2019 with the knowledge that every worker now has access to 5 days unpaid Family and Domestic Violence leave (FDV leave) after a new model clause was included in all modern Awards. This is a very long way from the gold standard of 20 days paid leave for those either experiencing family and domestic violence OR supporting someone experiencing family and domestic violence.
In better news, the number of employers in our industry who have got enterprise agreements that live up to the gold standard is increasing – as are the number of employers who are introducing this into policy as they either don’t have an Enterprise Agreement (EA) or are between EA cycles. If your employer has recently introduced a new FDV policy let us know at fsunion@fsunion.org.au
Important Survey on EAP Programs and FDV Leave
FDV leave is only part of the response provided by employers to workers impacted by family and domestic violence. If you have experienced FDV you might have been referred to your employer’s EAP (Employee Assistance Program). Right now there is an evaluation taking place of the support provided by EAP providers across the country by the independent organisation Domestic Violence Service Management.
If you have accessed your EAP after experiencing FDV please take the time to participate in this evaluation by completing this survey:
Campaigning on the Gender Pay Gap
One of the biggest issues for women working in the finance industry is the enormous gender pay gap that currently sits at 30.3% of total remuneration (Workplace Gender Equality Agency 2018 Statistics). We know that one of the contributing factors to the gender pay gap are the pay secrecy clauses contained in employment contracts. This is the clause that says your pay is confidential and you can’t tell anyone about it. Removing secrecy clauses can reduce the gender pay gap by as much as 7%!
In the lead up to International Women’s Day 2019 we have written to each of your employers asking them to remove these confidentiality clauses from your employment contracts in an effort to reduce the gap which remains stubbornly high.
We anticipate reporting back to you the results of this industry campaign on International Women’s Day.
We hope that the vast majority of employers decide to work with us by getting on board with this simple, first step in reducing the gap. We will share with the you the names of those employers who refuse to take even this step in the right direction.
Stay tuned for more information!