Sydney Water forced to accept that women don’t have to clean up after others!

Administration workers at Potts Hill, all but 2 of them women, have forced Sydney Water to accept that they do not have to clean up after other members of staff. By standing together, they have pressured management who have today backed down.

Sydney Water’s 19^th Century views

Sydney Water had engaged in classic stereotyping – directing Admin members to perform the task of setting up drinks and snacks in meeting rooms and then washing up dirty cups and glasses, wiping down tables, removing rubbish and cleaning the kitchenettes. These are not the duties that any administration workers were employed for.

Further, Sydney Water has directed staff in the admin pool to work on the reception desk to greet people and answer phones. Another traditionally female role that Sydney Water has immediately given to the staff who are overwhelmingly women – despite this not being their job!

ASU women fight back – Sydney Water backs down

Sydney Water was forced into retreat at Fair Work Australia yesterday after at first asserting that ASU admin members were engaging in ‘illegal industrial action’ because they no longer agreed to clean up after other people in the Potts Hill facility.