Minister needs to deliver for New Zealand women too
The Council of Trade Unions wants the Minister of Women’s Affairs to mark International Women’s Day by paying more
attention to working women in New Zealand. “We are deeply concerned about the current attacks on workers’ rights that
will badly impact on women,” said CTU President Helen Kelly.
Commenting yesterday on the Minister's appearance in New York in support of a streamlined United Nations Gender Equity
body, Helen Kelly said that the Minister also has to start considering the impact of some of her Government’s policies
on women workers at home. “The Minister must start acting at home as well as proclaiming abroad,” said Kelly.
“We want to see some action by the Minister in three specific areas: firstly, pay equity; secondly, representation of
women in decision making; and thirdly the impact of Government policies on working women.”
“The axing by the Government in June last year of the Pay and Employment Equity Unit is blocking progress in
implementing pay and employment equity. The closure has removed a carefully established structure that was starting to
deliver results. In contrast, the work that Minister Wong is leading is underwhelming, ill considered and doesn’t enjoy
support from pay and employment equity experts.”
“The Minister could also focus some attention on the gender composition of the Government’s new policy working groups.
All these working groups – on Tax, ACC stocktake, capital infrastructure, the 2025 Task force – have been dominated by
men and in some cases contain no women at all.”
“The changes that the Government is signalling in personal grievance procedures, the Holidays Act, and in the review of
the vulnerable workers legislation would all impact heavily on women because of their disproportionate representation in
certain kinds of work.”
“On International Women’s Day we recognise the achievements that have been gained by and for women by unions and
workers. We are now seeing attacks on those hard-earned rights. Today we honour the people who enabled these
achievements and commit to defending them.”
ENDS