CTU MEDIA RELEASE
08 August 2006
Social Report Confirms Need for Wages Campaign
“The Social Report confirms that unions are right in running a vigorous campaign for a fair share for workers, and in
particular for those on low wages,” CTU president Ross Wilson said today.
“The Social Report has highlighted growing levels of participation in the workforce, lower unemployment and some
improvements in education and qualification attainment, but our key concern remains the worsening income inequality.”
“The median hourly wage for men remains significantly higher than for women, and that is why unions will continue our
campaign for pay and employment equity for women.”
“There were a number of positive indicators in this year’s Social Report, and the increased worker participation
introduced by the 2002 health and safety reforms has seen reductions to workplace injuries claims to ACC.”
“We will continue our work with government and employers to improve these statistics, and in particular to address our
unacceptably high levels of workplace fatalities.”
“Hard questions remain for government in regard to the increase in people facing severe hardship, and the CTU is
concerned that Working for Families may not make a significant difference to this indicator. Future reports on New
Zealand Living Standards will be critical in gauging this.”
ENDS