Still second class in the work force
A case currently before the courts — involving complaints of unfair dismissal and of race- and sex-based discrimination against 31 migrant women sacked by Katies clothing chain — shows the effects of women's lower status in the labour market and how these results can compound and lower women workers' status further.
A July 22 Sydney Morning Herald feature set out the basic facts of the case: Katies (owned by Coles Myer since 1984) ran a warehouse in Sydney's old rag-trade district, Surry Hills. Fashion garments destined for Katies shops were there sorted, packed and dispatched in a process involving two groups of workers. The women — called splitters and packers — split the stock into sizes, colours and styles and packed it into boxes. The men worked at loading and unloading trucks, bagging stock and operating forklifts.
When Katies decided to upgrade to a new, highly automated warehouse, the workers who were put off were all splitters and packers — and all were women. Some had worked in Katies' warehouse for 20 years, but the company offered them retrenchment, thinly disguised as voluntary redundancy — they had to choose between severance pay and a two-month trial in a Katies boutique. Retraining was never considered by the company. The women even had to strike and picket Katies premises for a redundancy package that was still far short of that which is offered to public servants.
What happened to the Katies women shows the results of the segregation of women workers into particular industries and to particular classifications within industries — a sort of apartheid that makes women more vulnerable to exploitation.
Women tend to be concentrated in jobs that are considered low skill — often because there is no formal training given to them — and as a result are poorly paid. The women at Katies were taking home only $328 for a full week. Because women predominate in particular classifications, they also suffer indirect discrimination in over-award payments, identified as a significant factor in total wage differences between men and women. Low skill "women's" jobs are also more vulnerable to technological improvements, as the Katies case shows.
These factors reinforce the status of women in the work force as second-class citizens. This dominating feature of women's working role is derived from the view that men are still the primary breadwinners for families, despite the reality of today. The good news is that the Katies women are defying the stereotype and fighting back. With the assistance of the NSW Working Women's Centre, their application against unfair dismissal will be heard in the Industrial Relations Commission on Monday July 29.
By Jennifer Thompson