Female boss who was paid less than male staff told her treatment was not disciminatory

A young female hospital manager who was was paid far less than a man who reported to her has been told it has nothing to discrimination.

The manager of a busy Austin Health medical department claimed she had been “directly discriminated against”. Picture : Ian Currie

A young female manager of a major Victorian hospital department who was paid far less than a male clinician who reported to her has been told her treatment was not disciminatory.

The manager of a busy Austin Health medical department claimed before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal she had been “directly discriminated against” on the basis of her age and gender .

“The unfavourable treatment complained of is that she was denied or had limited access to be able to negotiate her salary in comparison with a colleague who reports to her and is paid a significantly higher salary,” VCAT member Susan Burdon-Smith noted.

The female manager had been paid at award wages, while a number of men who ­reported to her were paid above award.

One senior clinician was “consistently receiving a higher salary than the applicant”, Ms Burdon-Smith said. That male employee was paid nearly $40,000 more than his female boss, the tribunal heard.

The female manager had failed to prove to the tribunal she had been denied the opportunity to negotiate a higher wage for herself Picture : Ian Currie

The woman was appointed manager of the Austin Health department in mid-July 2011, at the age of 31, and had managed 14 employees, 10 of whom were male, it was told.

“No less than four of them were paid above the EBA (enterprise bargaining agreement) or at a classification higher than their role for the term of their employment. Each of those four were male. (The applicant claims six),” Ms Burdon-Smith noted.

The manager said she had spoken to her superiors about her pay a number of times and asked for a raise, but had been told in an email response times were “grim” and budgets were tight.

But the female manager had failed to prove to the tribunal she had been denied the opportunity to negotiate a higher wage for herself, Ms Burdon-Smith said in dismissing the Human Rights case.

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