Time to End Pay Discrimination
“It’s time to face the fact that the market will not deliver fair pay for all workers,” said Council of Trade Unions
vice president Darien Fenton today.
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and the international trade union movement is launching a worldwide call for “Pay
Equity Now!”
”Equal pay is a fundamental right, but worldwide, women are still paid between 10% and 50% less than men for doing
similar work or jobs of comparable worth,” said Darien Fenton.
“Pay equity is about creating an inclusive society where all are valued for the work they perform, particularly for
women, Maori, Pacific and migrant workers.”
Darien Fenton said it was time for Government to put Pay Equity at the front of the agenda for equality and put in place
measures that end discrimination.
This year the ILO will produce its Global Report on Discrimination which shows that decentralisation of bargaining has
had a negative impact on equality and pay equity.
“To turn that around we need to build union membership and we need greater support for collective bargaining,” said
Darien Fenton.
“We need to recognise and revalue the work that women do, in particular in areas such as aged care.”