7 September 2017

Green Party launches plan to pay women more

“New Zealand was the first country where women won the right to vote, and now we can be the first country to have pay equity for women,” Green Party leader James Shaw said.

“The Green Party has a plan to ensure that women and their families are treated fairly and paid better.”

We will:

1. Introduce pay transparency, by requiring all employers to collect data on what they pay men and women.

2. Make public sector chief executives responsible for achieving pay equity for employees of core government departments.

3. Amend the equal pay laws, to include agreed principles and place the onus on employers to prove they are paying women fairly.

4. Fund an expert body to assist women so all pay equity claims are progressed efficiently.

5. Double the funding for the Ministry for Women from $5 million to $10 million, to get a better deal for women.

6. Fund social marketing and education aimed at eliminating bias in employment.

7. Ensure the Minister for Women sits in Cabinet, and ensure gender balance amongst Green Party ministers.

“Getting a better deal for women is a priority for the Green Party in government,” Mr Shaw said

“The Green Party is committed to overhauling our pay equity laws, and we will place the onus on employers to ensure that the right to equal pay for women is being upheld.

“The fight for equal pay in Aotearoa New Zealand can be traced back to the suffragettes in the 1890s – they knew that a fairer society meant increasing pay for women.

“At the moment, most women only find out by accident, if at all, if they’re being paid less than a male colleague.

“Introducing gender pay transparency will mean the pay difference is made clear, so that employers can change what they have been doing.

“Doubling funding for the Ministry for Women and ensuring that the Minister for Women sits in Cabinet are important steps to ensure that Government shows leadership on issues for women,” Mr Shaw said.

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