Unions launch petition to protect pay equity

Major Aotearoa unions have launched a new petition calling on the Government to reverse their proposed amendments to the Equal Pay Act and restore existing pay equity claims.

Unions behind the petition are home to tens of thousands of working people who’ve experienced the life-changing impact of pay equity – including hospital administrators, social workers, nurses, and Allied health professionals.

“For many people who work in underpaid, traditionally female-dominated sectors, pay equity settlements are the difference between families being able to afford dental appointments, tamariki going to school camp, or being able to take the car into a mechanic,” said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.

“The proposed changes will reverse decades of progress to correct pay rates for women and people of all genders working jobs that have been undervalued due to sexism.

“This is about equity and justice – but it’s also about dignity and the cost-of-living,” said Ansell-Bridges.

The petition calls on the Government to:

• Reverse all claim cancellations by restoring existing pay equity claims – including for care and support workers, teachers, and library assistants.
• Undo Equal Pay Act changes that make it impossible for people working in female-dominated professions to achieve and keep pay equity.
• Deliver pay equity settlements to every worker waiting for their claim.

In less than 24 hours after the petition launched, it already has more than 5000 signatures.

Unions supporting the petition include NZCTU, PSA, E tū, NZEI, NZNO, TEU, New Zealand Writers Guild and Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association.