Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union condemns today’s move by the National-led government to gut the Equal Pay Act.

The proposed changes will halt all current pay equity claims, cause them to be restarted under very restrictive and unreasonable criteria, and waste years of work by employers and unions who in many cases have been working together to seek justice for some of Aotearoa’s lowest paid workers – all without due parliamentary process.

Te Pou Ahurei | National Secretary Sandra Grey says “this is discrimination at its worst and will set gender equity back 53 years to when the Equal Pay Act was passed.”

“Countless union women have fought long and hard for many years to achieve equal rights and equal pay for work of equal value in the workplace and this government is making a mockery of all that mahi.”

“This is another shameful example of workers paying the price for unnecessary tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the already well off. This time it comes at the particular expense of women being paid fairly, and it clearly demonstrates this government’s lack of respect both for justice and for women.”

“Brooke Van Velden has delivered the worst possible Mother’s Day present for working women – legislation that takes them and their families backwards.”

Wellingtonians outraged by this move are welcome to join us for a protest at the intersection of Cobham Drive and Evans Bay Parade at 9am on 23 May. All welcome!

TEU currently has two live pay equity claims for administrators and library assistants in universities. Including our two for university clerical/admin and library assistant, service workers.

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