City of Newcastle says a recent assessment of its employees salaries has shown almost no gender pay gap, with women slightly out-earning their male counterparts.
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The council made the assessment ahead of May 1, otherwise known as May Day, which marks the struggles made by workers and the labour movement.
Workplace Gender Equality Agency data found the gender pay gap between men and women was 21.7 per cent. For every dollar on average a man makes, women earn 78 cents.
According to ABS data, the gender pay gap is lower in public sector jobs compared to the private sector. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency found that in 2022 women in the public sector earned 88 cents for every dollar earned by a man.
The council said a recent assessment of staff salaries showed there was no significant pay difference for council employees and female employees earned marginally more on average than males.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said it was important to acknowledge this ahead of May Day.
"City of Newcastle has led the way with progressive benefits and conditions for many years now, proving our continuing commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity," Cr Nelmes said.
"We were one of the first councils in NSW to include domestic violence leave provisions back in 2018. This was alongside a range of other flexible and female-friendly working conditions such as miscarriage leave as part of our industry-leading enterprise agreement."
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said the equitable outcome for local government employees should be celebrated.
"City of Newcastle is a leading organisation when it comes to eliminating the gender pay gap," Mr Bath said.
"The reasons for this good result are many. We have built a culture at CN where we focus on the team rather than the individual, and where excellence is rewarded rather than gender, tenure, or an ability to negotiate.
"Our challenge now is to continue to strive for gender equality within our organisation and to help support the development and excellence of all our employees."
United Services Union organiser Luke Hutchinson said conditions secured in the enterprise agreement had ensured there were no reported gender pay gaps between any workers at the City of Newcastle.
"This groundbreaking agreement not only acknowledges but actively incorporates socially progressive conditions," he said.
"These include vital provisions such as access to miscarriage leave, improved parental leave, enhanced workplace flexibility, and family and domestic violence leave.
"By fostering these conditions, we ensure workplace protection and facilitate optimal service delivery for our vibrant community."
