Bartlett recognition bodes well for pay justice for women

23 February 2018

NZEI Te Riu Roa says that Kristine Bartlett is a deserved winner of the New Zealander of the Year award for her tireless work for women and pay equity.

“She embodies everything a great Kiwi is – ambitious, with a strong sense of fairness, dogged in her determination, and humble,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa National Secretary Paul Goulter.

Adelaide Early Childhood Centre Head Teacher and NZEI pay equity leader Karen O’Leary says the news is “brilliant”.

“Kristine has been generous with her support for other women, especially women in our sector, who with NZEI, are accelerating their own pay equity claims. We hope this bodes well for us and brings a sea change for women seeking pay justice.”

NZEI is leading the claims for the education sector on several fronts – support workers who work for the Ministry of Education, teacher aides and early childhood teachers and staff.

“Kristine always insisted it was her union, E Tū, which lead the charge, but putting her face and name to the campaign was heroic and life-changing for many women who work as caregivers in the aged-care sector,” says Mr Goulter.

Some of the health sector’s lowest paid workers shared a $2 billion pay equity settlement over five years following a case bought by E Tū and Ms Bartlett - known as the Terranova case.

Fifty-five thousand mainly women workers in aged and disability residential care, and home and community support services across the country benefited from the settlement.
ENDS

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