The appalling and deliberate behaviour of key Ministers, operating in secret, to rip up pay equity rules and stop thousands of women getting the pay rise they deserve has been exposed by the document dump of official advice.

"We knew it was constitutional vandalism and wage theft, now we know the Government actively suppressed human rights and went to extraordinary lengths to hush it up in the Beehive," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

"This was a treacherous betrayal from the get-go - conceived in secret, rushed through in indecent haste without consultation - all to save money at the expense of women - shame on the Government.

"The official papers spell out a deliberate campaign of secrecy - a clear plan to do this under urgency without consulting the very people impacted by their decisions.

"They knew they were riding roughshod over democracy, and they knew ripping up the rules violated basic human rights protected under the Bill or Rights. But they didn’t care.

"This was a carefully orchestrated, deceitful, and anti-democratic plan to deprive women of the pay they deserve.

"The Government will be hearing the voices of women loud and clear on this betrayal every day until election day when it must be punished for this appalling wage theft."

Note:

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

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