IEU’s equal remuneration case on behalf of early childhood teachers will be before the Fair Work Commission in July. The case argues that early childhood teachers are paid less than teachers in schools and other comparable professions, because they are mainly women.
The IEU claim is based on comparisons with university qualified male employees like teachers in primary schools. At present, teachers in early childhood, who are almost all female, can earn tens of thousands of dollars less than teachers in schools. For example, the top modern award rate for a teacher in a child care centre is less than $70,000, whereas a teacher in a primary school earns close to $100,000.
Final submissions will be heard in late September with an outcome expected later in the year or early next year.
Listen to IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Industrial Officer Verena Heron on the Early Education Show (podcast) talking about the Equal Remuneration Case: https://earlyeducationshow.podbean.com/e/55-the-equal-remuneration-case-with-verena-heron/