A rest home worker is frustrated her employer is preparing to challenge a court ruling that could lead to higher wages in industries dominated by low-paid women.
The Employment Court's preliminary decision, which is considered a test case, found low wages can be considered discriminatory to women, even if there is a small group of men earning the same amount.
TerraNova Homes and Care filed an application on Wednesday for leave to appeal against the judgement.
Aged care worker Kristine Bartlett took TerraNova to court arguing low wages for care workers amount to gender discrimination and says she is confident any appeal would be unsuccessful.
TerraNova says it would love to pay its staff more but cannot afford to because the sector is underfunded.
Owner and chief executive Terry Bell says the company is between a rock and a hard place.
