Women's Work, a six-part documentary series produced by Victorian women community radio workers, will go to air this month on radio 3CR in Melbourne and nationally through the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia satellite (COMRADSAT).
The series consists of six programs: bargaining our place: women and work under conservative government; women in development aid work; managing the arts; migrant women, workplace bargaining and Coalition industrial relations policy; the grass ceiling: women in agriculture; what's the difference? — sex discrimination and affirmative action.
The motivation is summed up by Karen James, series producer from 3CR: "Despite 30 years of women's struggles to achieve equal pay, wage differentials between men and women are almost unchanged. Increasing levels of part-time work, enterprise bargaining and union amalgamations have further weakened women's industrial position. Women have made substantial gains with anti-discrimination, affirmative action, maternity and family leave laws giving recognition to women's needs in the workplace."
James continues, "The Howard government is attempting to radically alter the industrial relations system. Individual contracts and negotiations are likely to erode many hard-won conditions. Women's Work examines these issues and how women are responding to the challenge of getting a fair deal from work in the '90s in a variety of different environments."
The series is the result of the third Women on the Line Documentary Training Project, funded by the Victorian Women's Trust. Women's Work can be heard in Melbourne on Community Radio 3CR (855AM) at 5.30pm each Wednesday from June 26 to July 31. It will be broadcast nationally each Friday at 6pm from June 28 to August 2.