Women from AMWU workplaces across NSW and the ACT gathered at the state’s first ever womens conference to discuss gender disadvantage in manufacturing.

Opening the conference AMWU NSW Secretary, Tim Ayres, released a report, commissioned by the union, into the place of women in manufacturing that showed women in blue-collar jobs were still significantly disadvantaged.

“The report identified some shocking statistics. 74% of women surveyed have never been promoted to a more senior role. 63% say they don’t receive workplace training.

“There are great jobs in manufacturing and engineering, but women are often excluded from them due to lack of opportunity.

"Government, unions, employers and education providers need to work together to promote real equal opportunities in blue collar industries - by really working to understand the issues, by creating more opportunities for training and skills development and by offering fair, open workplaces."

ACTU President, Ged Kearney, congratulated the union for raising the issue at its first women’s conference. 

“Too often public discussion about women in the workforce is dominated by the lack of women on company boards. Not enough is said about the far greater issues faced by women in manufacturing.

“I commend the AMWU for producing its report. Your union has its historical roots in male-dominated industries and trades, but it is a sign of a truly progressive and modern union that it is prepared to identify and challenge the barriers that prevent women’s advancement in manufacturing and engineering industries.”

Heidi Stenschke, from food company Cerebos, and Juli Tomaras, from the Department of Parliamentary Services in Canberra were among the attendees.

“It was really good to get the women together and find common ground.  I particular enjoyed Sally McManus’ (NSW Secretary of the Australian Services Union) presentation on the Equal Fair Pay campaign, it was eye opening,” Ms Stenschke said.

“No matter what industries we come from –  be it in a lab, an office or a factory, we face many of the same issues and problems. It’s good to know you’re not alone.”

An opportunity for attendees to break into workgroups, was a valuable chance to discuss common issues and the development of campaign ideas, according to Ms Tomaras.

“Our group identified a common theme across workplaces: a lack of meaningful opportunities for training and professional development. Our union needs to work at reversing this trend.

“A good place to start is in the public service, where unions may have a greater opportunity to influence government policy. If successful it could have a greater chance of spilling over into the private sector.”