PSA Media Release Header
30th August - For Immediate Release
Living wage needed to address pay inequity
The Public Service Association says a living wage would go some way towards addressing the historical pay inequity
facing thousands of women workers who provide support to the elderly and disabled.
The PSA is backing calls for a living wage so that workers, such as aged care and disability support workers can be paid
enough to actually live on rather than just surviving on the bare minimum.
PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff says these workers are almost all women who support some of the country’s most
vulnerable people.
“Their historically low wages reflect the pay gap between men and women. They are also at the sharp end of the widening
gap between rich and poor and the drop in real terms of household incomes.”
“These workers are committed to providing high levels of professional care that the elderly and disabled deserve. They
should be paid for the skills, complexity and responsibility of the work they do. Instead they continue to pay the price
for years of government underfunding and failure to take meaningful action around the growing pay and inequality gap.”
Earlier this year the government responded to a Human Rights Commission report by saying it cannot afford to properly
fund what is a chronically underfunded sector and bring pay rates up.
Mr Wagstaff says ironically it can afford to give high income earners millions of dollars in tax cuts.
“It’s about choices and priorities and providing a living wage for low paid workers would be a first step in trying to
tip the balance back in the right direction.”
The PSA will be taking part in today’s launch of the Living Wage campaign launch in Wellington.
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