Wednesday is International Women's Day, a day when the world comes together to celebrate the contribution women make to society, as well as reflect on and recognise the barriers to true gender equality still facing society.
It is also the day that business group The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry used to make the case for a cut to penalty rates, and argued that women should actually be grateful for lower weekend wages.
Yeah.
The Fair Work Commission last month ruled Sunday penalty rates in the retail, hospitality and fast food sector be cut. As we reported, women will be disproportionately affected by this cut to penalty rates, as they "constitute 71.6 percent of all part-time employees... 54.7 percent of all casual employees", the work classifications to be affected by penalty rate cuts, according to government statistics.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry thought they'd kill two birds with one stone, sending off a tweet marking International Women's Day while also spruiking the penalty rates cut as a win for women.
Women stand to benefit from changes to penalty rates. Underemployment disproportionately affects women. #BeBoldForChange pic.twitter.com/N7Hb5GhIbR
— Australian Chamber (@AusChamber) March 8, 2017
To be quite honest, it did not go down very well.
@AusChamber Now they can be underemployed and underpaid at the same time Bravo
— Socialist Wombat (@3wombats) March 8, 2017
.@AusChamber me thinking how paying women less is a good thing pic.twitter.com/NIF0PzdRM5
— )))TG o((( (@TG_Chrono) March 8, 2017
@AusChamber counterpoint, women will still be underemployed just paid less to work at inconvenient times.
— Jacob King (@jamaising) March 8, 2017
@AusChamber tldr paying women less will help women happy women's day
— Nick Names Nuts (@nicknamesnuts) March 8, 2017
Live footage of @AusChamber telling women #penaltyrates cuts are good for them on #IWD2017 #IWD #ThanksRichBlokes pic.twitter.com/R4UlIqJjp9
— Save Our Weekend (@SaveOurWeekend) March 8, 2017
Like, it went really badly.
@AusChamber delete your account. Look at the % of women under 25 who work in retail. Penalty rates pay their bills while they study.
— Sarah Ruby (@SarahCielique) March 8, 2017
@AusChamber Please tell me you didn't publish this outright lie on #internationalwomensday ?
— Brent Mitchell (@BrentMitch8) March 8, 2017
Ooops... CEO James Pearson @AusChamber with what can only be described as a howler on any day of the week but a woeful own goal on #IWD2017
— John Black (@baronbonbatfink) March 8, 2017
On IWD, it's just great to be hearing old white men's opinions on harsh wage cuts that will disproportionately fall on women's shoulders https://t.co/mXDfzyDtz7
— GetUp! (@GetUp) March 8, 2017
Someone noticed that, despite the social media graphic saying "bold for change", the chamber itself didn't seem to hold itself to that same ethos.
@AusChamber if you're so bold for change, why aren't there more women on your board? pic.twitter.com/HOtpxXuTY0
— DukeLongley (@DukeLongley) March 8, 2017
While others, like the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, were just plain confused.
Fixed it @AusChamber #ThanksRichBlokes pic.twitter.com/Wiymni65r0
— The AMWU (@theamwu) March 8, 2017
As Fairfax Media revealed this week, this very business group is one of those which -- while pushing a cut to penalty rates for weekend staff -- doesn't open its office on Sundays.
"The office is currently unattended," an answering machine message said, when a Fairfax journalist called at 2:58pm on Sunday.
Woops.