Feeling undervalued? Change is coming and, thankfully, it’s not small …
You may have caught the news yesterday that the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has announced an increase to the National Minimum Wage of 3.5% as part of its annual wage review. New Award rates come into effect on July 1. This will obviously mean that massage therapists employed under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award (HPSS) will see an increase in their take home pay in a month. (If you’re engaged as a subcontractor, now is a very good time to renegotiate your contract.)
The Commission noted in their decision that high inflation in previous years meant “living standards … have been squeezed and the low paid have experienced greater difficulty in meeting their everyday needs”.
What may have slipped your notice, however, was a landmark decision handed down by the FWC on 16 April, as part of the Commission’s ongoing priority review into gender-based undervaluation. The FWC’s Expert Panel found that workers across five key awards in female-dominated sectors, including health professionals covered under the HPSS Award, have been subject to gender-based undervaluation that justifies significant wage increases.
In other words, these proposed Award adjustments will apply within our female-dominated profession!
At their wage review hearing yesterday, the Commission announced that they intended to “push forward with our targeted program to review particular Award classifications in order to eliminate gender-based undervaluation of work in modern awards and ensure that female workers receive equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value” (starts at 9.10 in the linked video stream).
The Commission’s immediate priority is to review professional classifications in modern awards for which a university degree is required as a minimum. However, Diploma and Advanced Diploma rates in the Award will also be adjusted. Provisional rates proposed in the Commission’s April 16 decision (item 178, page 86) would see Diploma-qualified therapists receiving between 3 and 8% increases to Award rates, depending on years of experience.
The timeline for these changes is not clear at this stage but they will likely be phased to ease the pressure on employers/businesses. AMT will keep you informed of developments. Stay tuned and be valued!
