The Pay Equity Challenge

The CTU is committed to action on pay and employment equity on all fronts: political, industrial and campaigning. Unions are not alone in calling for pay and employment equity and the CTU and CTU unions are part of the Pay and Employment Equity Coalition.

Pay and employment equity is a union issue. It is a human rights issue, a social justice issue and an economic issue.  There is a persistent pay gap between women's and men's wages.  Women’s hourly earnings are on average 12 to 15% less than men. The weekly gender pay gap is much greater because women are more likely to be in casual and  part time work. Women’s average weekly  pay is $879.09 and men’s average weekly pay is $1058.98 – a gender pay gap of 17%. The annual gender earnings gap is much wider.

The current Government has abolished the Pay and Employment Equity Unity which had been set up to implement a Plan of Action to reduce the gender pay gap and ensure pay and employment equity in the public sector. 

Some facts and figures

• One year after entering employment the average income gap between men and women with a bachelor’s qualification or above was around 6 percent, after five years (2002 -2006) the average income gap had increased to 17 percent.
• An independent job evaluation report showed that when compared with male dominated jobs of corrections officers and cleaners, school support staff such as teacher aides and administrators were paid as much as $8 an hour less.
• Other pay and employment equity investigations in education have also shown areas where women employees are not being treated fairly or are being discriminated against in terms of pay, career advancement and the value of their work.
• In different occupational sectors the differences can are great.  The New Zealand Census of Women’s Participation Census found a gender pay gap in the public sector of 38.81% in Defence, 29% in Treasury, 27.2% in the office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and 14.9% in the Department of Labour

The CTU is part of the Pay Equity Challenge Coalition which holds regular events around the country. To find out what's happening and to join in visit the Coalition's webpage.

The CTU Equal Pay Petition to the Department of Labour can be found here