Women call on women to vote down "unfair pay" Bill

8 August 2017

NZEI members are calling on all women MPs to back the women of New Zealand and vote against the Pay Equity Bill today, even if it means crossing the floor.

"Throughout history, women have only achieved progress in the fight for justice and equality by standing together and backing each other to succeed. We are calling on that spirit of sisterhood today," said Lynda Stuart, President of NZEI Te Riu Roa.

"The Government's Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill is a mean-spirited attempt to limit our access to justice and fair pay, by putting stumbling blocks in the way of taking a pay equity claim.

"Voting for the Bill to go to select committee to get straightened out is not good enough. It needs to be roundly rejected in order to send the message that women want progress on equal pay, not more stumbling blocks," Mrs Stuart said.

"Our members are appalled at this cynical attempt to prevent them fixing the long standing gender based wage injustice."

NZEI members are fighting for pay equity on several fronts. Ministry of Education Support Workers are nearing the end of their pay equity talks with the Ministry, teacher aides and support staff are voting this week whether to accept a pay offer that includes progress on pay equity, and ECE teachers and staff are preparing a new claim now.

Mel Burgess, an ECE teacher from Wellington, will talk about what pay equity would mean to her, at this afternoon's event at Parliament at 12pm.

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