Around 20 people attended a public meeting at Te Kura o Te Kauaeranga Thames South School on August 24 to hear about changes to the Equal Pay Act.
Speakers Jocelyn Pratt from the Public Service Association (PSA) union and Labour workplace relations spokesperson Jan Tinetti took the audience through the history of workers’ rights and pay equity in New Zealand.
They then spoke about the amendments to the Act, which were passed under urgency in Parliament in May. The amendment changed the framework for assessing pay equity claims, and cancelled 33 claims which were already underway.
Jocelyn said the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions will be holding a national Women’s Day of Action on September 20 across the country, which is billed as a “bold and visible statement in the fight for pay equity”.
Meanwhile, a public oral submissions hearing, due to be held on September 10 at Kerepēhi Marae, has since been cancelled due to cost.
The in-person hearing was to be held by the People’s Select Committee, a group of former female MPs seeking public feedback about the changes to the Act. The hearing will instead be held over Zoom, from 9-11am.
DETAILS: Pay Equity Hearing – People’s Select Committee. September 10, 9-11am. Email PeoplesSelectCommittee@payequity.org.nz to register to make a verbal submission.
Women’s Day of Action, September 20. See www.together.org.nz for more details.
