2 July 2011

Time for Govt to show leadership on equal pay

The Government should take the lead and immediately modernise the Equal Pay Act in the wake of the Alasdair Thompson saga the Green Party says.

Green Party Women’s Affairs spokesperson Catherine Delahunty has written to the Government offering her Equal Pay Amendment Bill to be taken over as a Government Bill and hopes to meet with the Minister of Labour this coming week to discuss how equal pay can be advanced.

“I call on the Government to show leadership on equal pay and adopt my Bill so that women can ensure they are paid fairly and legally,” said Catherine Delahunty.

“The outcry over Alasdair Thompson’s comments shows there is overwhelming public support to change our antiquated equal pay laws to bring them into the 21st Century.

“It is great to see the near universal rejection of Alasdair Thompson’s comments, including Air New Zealand’s decision to withdraw from the EMA. But actions speak louder than words and equal pay will not be addressed without changes to the current law.

“The most important outcome is that women doing the same job as men receive the same pay. I am happy for my Bill to be taken over by the Government if that means the law can be changed sooner and women can start receiving equal pay sooner,” Ms Delahunty said.

The Human Rights Commission will release suggested changes of their own to the Equal Pay Act next week that are similar to those proposed by Catherine Delahunty.

“The Government should get on with making sure women and men receive equal pay. Between my Bill and the Human Rights Commission’s work there is plenty for the Government to use to craft legislation of its own,” Ms Delahunty said.

“The gender pay gap won’t close just because Alasdair Thompson resigns, or prominent people disagree with what he said. We need to give our current law new teeth so it can be applied in the modern workplace,” Ms Delahunty said.

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