For the first time since it agreed to a new set of operating protocols,
the Police Federation of Australia Women’s Advisory Committee (PFAWAC)
held a two-day meeting in Canberra earlier this year.
The committee, a lobby group, advises the PFA on issues that affect
women in both policing and police unions.
Representatives from all but one police jurisdiction across Australia
and New Zealand attended the meeting.
The committee confirmed its intent to continue to build on its September
2003 meeting: to work toward greater participation by female members
in police unions across Australia.
Pay equity
The WAC had previously highlighted the Pay Equity Program as an issue
affecting the pay and promotion of women officers. The project is
not simply about whether women and men earn the same pay for the same
rank. It relates to the congregation of women workers in workplaces
that are traditionally filled by women and have therefore become traditionally
low paid. Many reasons exist for this.
Extensive research already conducted by numerous organizations around
the world indicates that women working in such areas continue to earn
less money than their male counterparts who work in other areas. This
is further exacerbated by the fact that there are fewer opportunities
for advancement in traditional areas of women’s employ.
It was reported to the meeting that the national executive had endorsed
the seeking of funding from the Federal Government for a pay equity
project. A project brief is currently being developed (which is almost
complete) and will be used as a basis to seek funding from the Ministry
for the Status of Women.
Mentoring policy
A mentoring policy is currently being developed and will be presented
to the PFA’s industrial planning committee (IPC) before it is taken
back to the WAC. The policy is also for the use of police unions across
the country to help secure increased participation of women in those
unions.
Anna Stewart Memorial Project
The Anna Stewart Memorial Project – a union initiative designed to
expose women members to a range of union activities – is a standing
WAC agenda item. The project already operates in a number of states,
and does so as a direct result of pressure from the WAC.
The WAC promotes the project among all police unions and has agreed
that, in those jurisdictions in which it is not available, the appropriate
unions would develop their own “in-house” programme. In this respect,
the WAC has already achieved significant success.
Model working conditions
For model working conditions, the WAC continues at each meeting to
develop and update its own matrix, which it compiled some years ago.
The production of such a document has enabled the WAC to provide the
PFA with a means of tracking the progression of working conditions
for women across the jurisdictions. At a glance, each union can see
how it shapes up with other unions by assessing its own success against
the key conditions of service.
The matrix allows comparison of conditions in such areas as:
- Paid maternity leave.
- Carers’ leave.
- Pre-natal leave.
- Part-time.
- Child care.
- Flexible rostering options.
- Job-share arrangements.
- Pregnancy policies.
- Work-from-home policies.
An easy-to-follow document such as this will assist police unions
to identify their weak spots and therefore look to have those areas
included in upcoming EB negotiations.
Women and promotion
Another area identified by the WAC as an issue of importance is that
of women’s progression (promotion) in the police occupation itself.
The PFA has agreed to approach all Australian police commissioners
to undertake a research project that aims to identify what barriers
might exist. Part of that process would include a longitudinal study
that tracks the promotion of both women and men in police jurisdictions.
This is necessary for the purpose of comparisons and, ultimately,
will benefit all members.
Superannuation
Against the background of the PFA’s continuing national lobbying
exercise for improved police superannuation, the WAC meeting highlighted
the inequities in superannuation arrangements. Particularly under
the spotlight were arrangements in jurisdictions that still have defined-benefit
schemes for women who avail themselves of maternity leave, or some
form of leave without pay to have and raise their children.
As it happens, more and more male members are now taking some form
of family leave to care for children, thus allowing their partners
to return to the workforce earlier. It has become apparent that this
leave is having an adverse impact on those members’ superannuation
entitlements.
BT Financial Services customer relations director Lisa Pogonoski
has, according to The Advertiser, said women’s average super
savings – about $27,400 in 2000 – fall well short of the $300,000
needed to fund a comfortable retirement.
“Three times the number of women work on a part-time or casual basis
and they are typically lower-paid positions,” she was quoted as saying.
The PFA is looking to undertake research in this area to see exactly
how seriously its members’ superannuation is affected in these circumstances.
Childcare
Another area that always promotes interesting debate is the issue
of employer–provided or subsidized childcare. Three police jurisdictions
– NSW, Victoria and New Zealand – are currently piloting employer
programmes. WAC representatives in those jurisdictions are monitoring
and reporting on their progress to develop a longer-term strategy
for all jurisdictions.
It was also identified that many of our union officials have difficulty
in fulfilling their union responsibilities owing to childcare considerations.
The WAC is currently developing a national policy that would assist
both female and male members who have childcare responsibilities and
wish to undertake union duties.
In some states, this is already provided for by the union.
Training and education
We are moving to a more rigorous education-and-training regime across
the country. As that happens, access to training and education for
members with childcare responsibilities – particularly those working
part-time – becomes an issue. The PFA undertook to raise the WAC’s
concerns in this area with police commissioners in a May meeting,
so that when training programmes are being developed, the access issue
is taken into account.
Women’s participation in police unions
In respect to a key strategy of the WAC, the committee has already
begun a statistical analysis of women activists at all levels of police
unions. It is apparent that on a percentage basis, very few women
members are actively involved in our police unions. Through this analysis,
we hope to identify where the shortcomings are and develop strategies
that will overcome this widespread problem.
• WAC members meet again next month. If
you have ideas that might assist this group in its endeavours, contact
your police union office, which will put you in contact with your
representative.
Police Federation