Health, Well Being and Working Poverty

1. Health, Well Being and Working Poverty Helen Masterman-Smith and Jude Elton Centre for Work and Life University of South Australia Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies

2. www.lowpayproject.com.au • Low Paid Services Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Causes, Effects and Responses • Funding: Australian Research Council, Liquor Hospitality Miscellaneous Workers Union, Brotherhood of St Laurence, SA Unions, Unions NSW, Victorian Trades and Labour Council • Research team: Barbara Pocock (Uni of SA), John Buchanan (Sydney Uni), Ian Watson (Sydney Uni), Iain Campbell (RMIT Uni), Susan Oakley (Adelaide Uni)

3. Changing workplace environments • ‘Work’ as a fundamental social determinant of health – availability and quality… • Implications of WorkChoices for low paid? • AIRC President Giudice: ‘people with low skills, low bargaining power are headed for the five minimum conditions..which will have an effect on their incomes..This will be accompanied by a slowdown in the rate of growth of minimum wages - that’s what the Fair Pay Commission is for’ • ‘I can assure you it s going to affect our society’

4. The study • Low paid workers: $14/hr - $530/wk - $26800/year • National research • SA – childcare workers • Vic - cleaners • NSW - luxury accommodation workers • Focus: workers, households, communities • Recruitment: LHMU, BSL, advertising • Larger project • 100-200 participants (interviews/focus groups) • HILDA analysis

5. Dimensions of low pay • Low paid work: • 14% (mid 90s) to 20% (2003) • 29% (2.6m) of all workers on < $500pw • Concentrated in service sectors • Strong connection with casual/part-time employment • Low paid workers: • Mostly female, 25-65 yrs • Over-represented: young people, women, CALD

6. Health on a low wage • Not all low paid in poverty • Working poor = time and income poverty • Fewer benefits (health, travel), more costs (travel, training, equipment) • Deep sense of struggle and deprivation • I only have incoming calls... my daughter’s rent pays the groceries. No luxuries.. I will live in a rented home for the rest of my life (Fay, 43, cleaner, Melbourne) • Tough on household relationships and social networks • I’ve been really stressed out… July was my shocking one. Kids couldn’t even look at me ‘cause I had so many bills … I had rego … I had everything… I have to find a full time job. I can’t cope any more. Well because the rent’s going up all the time too (Cathy, 40s, lone parent of 2 children, cleaner, Adelaide) • Health treatment and prevention are a luxury

7. Individuals • Physical well being • Workplace hazards – chemicals, sick children • Endless work • Long hours/overwork/on-call • No retirement • I’m going to work til I can work. … I want to keep working and pay off my debts (John, 65, cleaner, Melbourne). • No rest or recreation • Emotional/mental well being • Depression, anxiety • Pressure for money..I have no money, upset, start trouble.. I feel squashed, can’t relax (Paul, 47, cleaner, Melbourne) • Humiliation, shame, ‘a different world’ • ‘these people that have got a bit of money to flash… and I can’t even afford to buy myself a bloody meal … I got told by Centrelink the other day that I’m living beyond my means and I laughed… I don’t need her to tell me that...you feel like an absolute dickhead and a failure’ (Ebony, 29, mother of 3, childcare worker, Adelaide)

8. Households/Families • Low paid workers often do long hours = families/households miss out on both time and $$s • Relationship pressures • … they always expect grandma to be able to feed them and have cakes and lollies and take them to places and that's where I get really upset that I can't (Diana, 50s, cleaner, Adelaide) • Care commitments (Susan’s mum) • It’s not a very flexible job … I’ve got an elderly mother who needs to go to the doctors nearly every other Wednesday but I can’t do that anymore (Susan, 50s, private nanny, Adelaide) • Children go without • Health care, dental, medicine • School excursions, educational participation • Sports participation • Home heating • Meals, good meals • Clothing • Transport for events • Holidays • Basic leisure • Parental time • Ebony buys … ‘home brand or the bargain of the week…it’s not …the leanest chicken or the leanest meat to actually promote good health. And also being running around heaps …often I have to get [the kids] lunch order …so sometimes it becomes a bit of an unorganised household which also becomes a bit more expensive which also creates not eating healthy and … not taking time out for yourself’ (Ebony, 20s, mother of 3, child care worker)

9. Community • Many examples of withdrawal from social relationships, organisations, activities • Social world shrinks • ..I don’t go out and visit because its another 20 minute drive and I can’t afford that (Molly, childcare worker, Adelaide) • Catching up with friends, its rare now (Jenni, 20s, childcare worker, Adelaide) • Community/social support networks stretched • Mutual aid/support networks struggling with diminishing resources • A lady was moving out over the road or they got thrown out or something and I had her and her kids come over and she asked me could she stay here for awhile and she was here two or three weeks, I've had that quite a few times (Diana, 50s, single grandmother supporting grandchild, cleaner, Adelaide) • Capacity building undermined • I'm not doing it now because of this job but I was … involved [voluntarily in] taking kids to court and … sitting with them while they've got access to a parent... (Diana, 50s, single grandmother supporting grandchild, cleaner, Adelaide) • Sick workers – public safety, burden on health care system • I’m probably likely to actually come into work feeling under the weather because you know you’ve got no sick leave or no TOIL [time of in lieu] or anything like that (Donna, 30s, childcare worker, Adelaide)

10. Prevention • Financial constraints • Delaying treatment • I don’t go to the dentist.. I’m scared to go in case he finds something I can’t afford (Paula, 55, mother of 2, two cleaning jobs, Melbourne) • Cutting back on healthy/sufficient food and exercise • [After work] I haven’t recharged from the day yet and I don’t actually have the energy to do exercise and even eat right sometimes because you’re not really earning that much so you’re buying cheaper food I suppose and budgeting more (Kylie, 30s, childcare worker, Sydney) • Sports participation • Time constraints - little control over work or non-work time • Because it’s a poor pay rate, you feel you need to work as much as you possibly can so you never want to make appointments, even on your day off, for medical, … breast screening … cervical cancer screening … pap smears, … And also if work rings up and wants you to work and you refuse… you’ll find you’re penalised when the next roster comes out … you’ve got less hours (Vicky, 50s, childcare worker, Adelaide)

11. Help Seeking • Community services • ‘I’d probably be too proud’ (Charmaine, 40s, cleaner, Adelaide) • ‘I found it hard to actually ring them up and to get to that point’ (Millie, 30s, cleaner, Adelaide) • Welfare as a last resort: • ‘We never claim dole, anything … NEVER any one day claim unemployment’ (Mercedes, cleaner, immigrant, Melbourne) • ‘I don’t want to be known as one of those dole bludgers’ (Fay, 40s, cleaner, Melbourne)

12. In sum… Stay tuned: 2008 Low pay book release • Low pay = time and money poverty • Good health and healthy household/community relationships are essential to surviving on a low wage • Yet, low wages erode health, social connection and social fabric • Work that is health promoting is • fairly paid = living wage • family friendly conditions • ensures workplace rights/citizenship • meets ILO minimum standards www.lowpayproject.com.au www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/