New data reveals 14% gender pay gap in Bundaberg Council

The gender pay gap is alive and well and costing the women who work for Bundaberg Regional Council up to $9000 a year, as new data reveals the shocking truth.

Women-dominated jobs at Bundaberg Regional Council (acting CEO Stuart Randall pictured) are falling short of matching their male-dominated counterparts with a wage gap of up to 14 per cent.

Women-dominated jobs at Bundaberg Regional Council pay significantly less than their male-dominated counterparts with a wage gap of up to 14 per cent.

Figures provided by the Services Union show the current relative wage gap for graduate level positions at the council was 13-14 per cent.

At the base entry level position, women-dominated positions were earning only 2 per cent less than their relative male-dominated equivalents.

The relative wage gap was calculated by measuring indoor workforce award stream where “most employees … are women” against outdoor jobs.

The union said the relativities of these wages were fixed “under the 1989 structural efficiency principles by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission” and “the wage relativities used in the Queensland Local Government Award 1992 remain intact in our current award today”.

Women-dominated jobs at Bundaberg Regional Council (acting CEO Stuart Randall pictured) are falling short of matching their male-dominated counterparts with a wage gap of up to 14 per cent.

The relativities include benchmarks for tertiary education entry points by comparing predominantly male-dominated jobs with female-dominated ones.

The union’s figures reveal Bundaberg council roles predominantly filled by women at the lowest relative entry point paid slightly less ($66,023) than their male-dominated equivalents ($67,029.91).

But that gender pay gap widens significantly at the three-year degree entry point.

At this level, jobs dominated by women in the council are paid $74,739 compared to the men who get $83,787.39, a gap of $9048 and about 13 per cent.

At the equivalent level of another year on, that gap widens to 14 per cent thanks to a wage comparison of $76,286 to $85,798.28.

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The Services Union’s data shows at the three-year graduate degree entry point women-dominated jobs in the council are paid $74,739 compared to the $83,787.39 wage for men, a gap of $9048 and about 13 per cent.

Acting Bundaberg Council CEO Stuart Randall said the council had made “significant positive progress as a diverse and inclusive organisation over recent years, including increased female representation at the senior leadership level”.

“(The) council’s commitment to gender equity is built on the principles of fairness, inclusivity, and the removal of gender-biases and barriers in employment,” he said.

Services Union local government lead organiser Tom Rivers said the figures showed an ongoing problem that needed to be fixed.

Mr Rivers said it was “important that areas that are traditionally female dominated are remunerated equally to areas that are male dominated where the training requirements, skill level and responsibilities are relative”.

“There is a significant gender pay gap issue in Queensland local government,” he said.

“There have been recent changes to the Queensland Industrial Relations Act that have put the gender pay gap to the front of the agenda.

“Councils now must provide detailed information on the gender wage gap and if there is an issue how they propose to address this issue.”

Originally published as New data reveals 14% gender pay gap in Bundaberg Council