NEGOTIATE YOUR WAY TO BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS

More Queensland women will be better able to ‘get what they want’ in the workplace, thanks to a series of seminars launched today by the Beattie Government.

Minister for Women Margaret Keech urged Queensland women to take advantage of the Workplace Negotiation Skills seminars.

“The reality for many women is that pay inequity remains an ongoing issue despite the fact that equal pay is required by legislation,” Mrs Keech said.

“And the over-representation of women in part-time and casual work doesn’t lead to a lot of opportunities for promotion or leadership roles.

“Under the Howard Government’s WorkChoices system, many women will be struggling to retain rights related to their employment conditions, as well as losing penalty rates on casual jobs and the ability to claim compensation for unfair dismissal.

“Women need to take control of their work situation by building effective communication and bargaining skills that can be used when negotiating their own Australian Workplace Agreement.

“The Workplace Negotiation Skills seminars will focus on getting the best outcomes for women and I encourage all women to take advantage of the expert advice available to them.”

Mrs Keech said the seminars would cover topics such as understanding different styles of negotiation, reframing negotiations from a power-focus to an interest-focus, overcoming common mistakes made by women in negotiation, and techniques for managing emotion in negotiation.

“There are many studies which show that most men and women have widely different negotiating styles and women often lose out when it comes to bargaining for their terms and conditions,” she said.

“Women will find these to be extremely useful seminars, not only in workplace situations, but also in the rest of their lives.”

The seminars are being run by the Office for Women in partnership with the Queensland Working Women’s Service and will be held from April to June 2007 in 10 south-east and regional Queensland centres.

Visit www.women.qld.gov.au/seminars or phone 1800 177 577 for more information as it becomes available.

Media contact: Jo Gibbons 3224 2007