Serious concerns with Nationals proposed new equal pay law
The Government has today tabled the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill with the first reading expected next
week.
CTU Vice President Rachel Mackintosh has serious concerns about the content and direction of this Bill, “we are
carefully examining the detail of this proposed law but it does look as though it will be much more difficult for
working women to achieve equal pay.”
“It seems that, at the very least, it would have been much more difficult for Kristine Bartlett and the 55,000 other
care workers to have achieved their recently won equal pay settlement had this Bill been the law.”
"A key problem is that the Bill adds additional barriers for women taking pay equity claims by putting significant
restrictions on the male dominated jobs which can be used as a comparator to help determine whether a job has been
undervalued because it is female dominated.
“Sometimes these comparators might be from the same industry, but sometimes they will need to be from a different
industry – particularly when a whole industry of work has been undervalued and affected by gender discrimination because
it's been work performed largely by women.”
“Women need to be able to select the most appropriate comparator for their particular role, regardless of who their
employer happens to be.”
“This Bill does not achieve what the Equal Pay Principles were designed to achieve; enable a better process and pathway
to equal pay.”
“We are so disappointed that the National Government does not want to address the gender pay imbalance in New Zealand –
changing the law was an opportunity to make our country a fairer place. Instead this Government is choosing to pull the
ladder up on equal pay,” Mackintosh said.
ENDS