When aged care workers won a court case and a huge legal settlement for equal pay, the then-National government responded by introducing legislation to stop anyone from doing that ever again. Now, the new government has scrapped that shit:
The government is throwing out pay equity legislation introduced by National, saying it makes it harder for people to make a claim for fair wages.
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter said the legislation was deliberately designed to put barriers in the way of women who wanted to make a pay equity claim, and would be replaced.
[…]The government will start work on new legislation to adhere to principles agreed by the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity – a group made up of business, union and government representatives.
Ms Genter is confident improving the legislation will be straightforward.
“We already have the agreed principles from the joint working group and I don’t think it will be too difficult to go back, to take those barriers out of the bill, replace them with something that truly reflects those agreed principles, and is going to make it easier for women to have a process and a pathway to equal pay.”
Good. National’s bill responded to inequality by entrenching it (for the profit of its sexist business cronies, of course). Now they’re gone, hopefully we’ll see some real progress towards closing the gender pay gap and ensuring that there is equal pay for work of equal value.
And having done that and pursuing the case to higher courts their supporters now claim higher wages for NZ cos of Nats. Er, no the pay rise for this section of the workforce havibg such a profound impact on overall wage stats suggests a huge number were kept poorly paid by Nats.
Those business groups not passing on the funded rises need checking.
Rest homes especially.
Yup. It’s a process.
Is that happening?
Yeah just wait for them to …
1. cry poor and lay people of,
2. lobby about how dire it’s all become
3. blaming any negative incidents on the legislation
At the same time they will be..
4.changing work descriptions
5. moving as many tasks as possible to lower paid workers for whom the legislation does not apply.
I think the funders will have to provide higher funding in the next round, but I also expect some organisations to cut back on service provision đ
Katipo, you are right on the button.
Changing work descriptions and Changing job descriptions to a lower pay level.
Bringing in foreign workers, having them live- in at inflated charges. This is happening.
There needs to be a pay arbitration ombudsman/woman/ independent group to deal with anomalies and cheating. imo.