The Green Party supports immediate Government action to close the pay gap as called for in an open letter released today by the Human Rights Commission and 50 other organisations.

“Pay transparency legislation will change people’s lives for the better. Right now, people are struggling to put food on the table, and pay the bills. Closing the pay gap would make a real and lasting difference to people's lives,” says the Green Party’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson, Jan Logie.

“Rules put in place by successive governments have allowed a race to the bottom for wages, with Pasifika and Māori missing out on fair pay for their work.

“This means that Pasifika women earn on average around three quarters of what Pākeha men get paid. For every $1 a Pākehā man earns, Pasifika men and a Māori woman earn 81c.

“A Human Rights Commission report from last year showed this is still happening. Racism, unconscious bias and workplace discrimination are also contributing to poorer workplace outcomes for Pacific, Māori, and ethnic people.

“Work was started on pay transparency last term by then Green Minister, Julie Anne Genter. As Minister for Women, she wrote to the Council of Trade Unions and Business New Zealand confirming that the Government would progress work on pay transparency.

“But since 2020 very little has happened.

“Now is the time for the Government to step in and take immediate action. We need mandatory pay gap reporting and to raise the minimum wage to the same level as the living wage.

“The Greens would make sure there are no more delays to this essential work, the only way to make that happen is with more Green MPs around the decision making table,” says Jan Logie.

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