Unions are campaigning for pay equity to eliminate the gender pay gap between women and men. Pay equity means women are paid the same as men for the same work, and for work of equal value.

On average women earn 13% less than men. A big part of the problem is the undervaluing of jobs that are perceived as womens work. Professions such as nursing, which have traditionally been seen as female occupations, are underpaid compared with other more male-dominated jobs. The pay gap is even worse for Maori and Pacific women.

Unions were extensively involved in work with the Pay and Employment Equity Taskforce - click here to read its report [1].

What's New?

2007

• Gender pay gap persists; 14 per cent in latest stats out today [2] - media release, October 4 2007 
• On The Level - Pay and Employment Equity in New Zealand, a new Council of Trade Unions DVD resource, [3] was launched on International Working Women’s Day, March 8th 2007.  Click here for more [3].
• Pay DVD Useful Resource for Women [4] - media release, March 8 2007

2006

• Movement On Gender Pay Gap - Much More Needed [5] - CTU's weekly newsletter 'The Unionist', October 6 2006
• Gender Pay Gap for Women Drops [6] - October 5 2006
• Embedding Pay & Employment Equity in Union Bargaining [7] - CTU's weekly newsletter 'The Unionist', September 29 2006
• Suffrage Day Requires Action On Ending Pay Discrimination Against Women [8] - September 19 2006

2005

• Pay gap for women widens [9] - October 11 2005

2004

• Pay Equity Unit Will Help Close Earnings Gap [10] - 15 December 2004

2003

• Time to Close the Gender Pay Gap [11] - April 28 2003.

Pay Equity Campaign Resources

• Factsheet: NZ women in the labour market [12]
• History of the pay equity campaign in New Zealand [13]
• NZNO Pay Equity Speech [14]
• NZNO Pay Equity Presentation (.ppt) [15]
• Pay Equity Campaign Links [16]
• 'Closing the Gap' [17].  Papers from a CTU forum in 1997 on equal pay. 
• Pay Equity Forum [18].
  Have your say on Pay Equity. Read what others have written, and post your own messages using "New Topic".
• PaEE Training Manual - updated Sept 2006.  The updated training manual for the course "Reviews and Response Planning for Unions - click here [19] for a PDF (251 KB). The manual includes information on pay and employment equity issues, Pay and Employment Equity Reviews, and is a useful guide for union organisers, educators and officials. Printed copies of the manual are available from the NZCTU - phone 04 385 1334, or email nikkib@nzctu.org.nz [20].

Pay Equity Archived News

• Rapid Response Needed for Pay Equity
• Discrimination Against Women Captured
• Status of Women Report to UN Committee
• Pay Equity NOW! PSI Newsletter
• Time to Close the Gender Pay Gap
• Next Steps Towards Pay Equity

Rapid Response Needed for Pay Equity

The Government's response to the Pay and Employment Equity Taskforce report shows that it is prepared to take action immediately to close the gender pay gap within the state sector, Council of Trade Unions vice-president Helen Kelly said today.
Unions in the public health, education and public service sectors were represented on the taskforce which was set up to find ways to achieve pay equity in these areas. Unions welcomed the completed taskforce report and the Governments immediate commitment to set up the Pay and Employment Equity Unit, and called on the Government to begin implementing the other taskforce recommendations. "The taskforce report shows a bigger gender pay gap in the state sector than the private sector and the taskforce recommendations will, if implemented, fix this," Helen Kelly said. "Its important that the Government, as a large employer of women, is seen to be getting its own house in order by paying women fairly for the work they do," she said. "This is necessary given the persistent gender pay gap and the undervaluing of womens skills in a time of labour market shortages." Unions would continue to be involved as the pay equity strategy was put inplace, and would push for work to be done on the pay gap in the private sector, Helen Kelly said. "We will also press for action on the reports recommendations, such as the need for a legal remedy where employers refuse to deal with an issue contributing to the gender pay gap. "We want the right to equal pay for work of equal value to be enforceable, as required under international conventions which New Zealand has ratified," Helen Kelly said.

Discrimination Against Women Captured

Press Release by National Council of Women of New Zealand to mark the launch of The Status Of Women - NGO CEDAW Report.

The Status of Women - NGO CEDAW Report, a collaborative effort involving over 100 New Zealand womens organisations, including groups representing migrant women, has been formally launched today by the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) National President, Beryl Anderson at a function in Parliament.

Launched alongside reports from Maori Womens Welfare League and the Ministry of Womens Affairs, the Status of Women Report reveals the multiple forms of discrimination women are subjected to in New Zealand. Anecdotal evidence captured by the report provides clear proof of some of the systemic problems women face, particularly in areas such as health, education, finance and commerce.

"Unequal pay is an enduring characteristic of New Zealand society,and indeed all societies, and neither formal equality through legislation nor huge changes in education outcomes have made much difference" said Ms Anderson.

There have been significant developments affecting women and girls in New Zealand during the three year period the report was put together.

"Although refugee populations represent a sizable and increasing group who are socially and economically marginalized and disadvantaged in NZ recognition of their health needs is not included in the New Zealand Health Strategy 2001".

"While there have been changes to human rights legislation, the legal definition of discrimination against women and girls has yet to be resolved. Sexual harassment and sex role stereotyping remain prolific in our society" said Ms Anderson.

Anne Todd-Lambie and Judith Byrne will take the Report to New York next year to present to the United Nations CEDAW Monitoring Committee. The report will be reviewed by the UN Committee to determine whether it is substantively different from the New Zealand Governments report and a series of questions will be presented for the Governments response.

Status of Women Report to UN Committee

The pay gap between men and women is a major cause of economic discrimination in New Zealand, and the economic reforms of the 1990s have resulted in a significant group of women and children living in poverty, the United Nations has been told today.
The UN committee monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has been presented with a report from a range of non-governmental organisations, which outlines the status of women in New Zealand. Almost 120 groups contributed to the report, which is being presented by JB (correct name) Byrne of the Council of Trade Unions, and Anne Todd-Lambie from the National Council of Women. The report highlights the unequal debt burden created by the student loans scheme. Women take twice as long as men to repay their student loans - because they are often paid less than men - and therefore pay thousands of dollars more in interest. Casualisation of the workforce is another key point in the report, which says that many women deal with uncertain hours and conditions of work, low wages, job insecurity, and dangerous or unhealthy work. The report says there is insufficient recognition of women's work as mothers and caregivers, and highlights the health and financial insecurity of older women as an area of concern. The UN has also been told that women's health initiatives in New Zealand are notoriously under-resourced, and said the McGoogan report showed the need for greater resourcing to avoid the failings that were seen in the Gisborne cervical screening case. A separate report representing the concerns of Maori women has also been presented to the UN committee today.

Pay Equity NOW! PSI Newsletter

Pay Equity NOW! is an electronic newsletter produced by Public Services International as part of its pay equity campaign.
In this issue: - Pay Equity Action Week 4-8 October - Pay Equity Success in UK Prison Service - Women and Work Commission Established in UK - WAL-MART Largest Class Action in the US for Pay Equity - Legislative Approach to Pay Equity in Australia - ILO South Asia Meeting Provides Platform for Pay Equity - Pay Equity Initiatives in the Philippines - Social Security in Costa Rica - Black Women still on the Bottom Rung in South Africa - ILC Pay Equity and Maternity Protection Resolution Follow -up
Download Newsletter (284kb) [21]

Time to Close the Gender Pay Gap

Article for New Zealand Herald by Darien Fenton, NZCTU vice-president, published on April 24, 2003.
[Read Article [11]]

Next Steps Towards Pay Equity

Release of Government Discussion Paper - July 8, 2002
The Minister of Women's Affairs Laila Harre, has released a discussion document entitled Next Steps Towards Pay Equity, which confirms the market alone will not close the gender pay gap. The Council of Trade Unions welcomed the discussion document.
"Women's work is finally being taken seriously in the Government's report on pay equity,' said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson when the report was released. "Now it's time to move beyond measuring the pay gap and start valuing the work typically done by women." Currently women earn 84 cents for every $1 a man earns. Maori women earn 74 cents and for Pacific women it's only 70 cents. "This structural inequality has no place in modern and innovative workplaces," said Ross Wilson. "For too long New Zealand has failed to address equal pay for equal value as required by ILO Convention 100 and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women." Ross Wilson said the report identified government regulation, collective bargaining and unionisation as part of the solution to closing the pay gap. "Unions have a vital role to play through pay equity campaigns, collective bargaining, test cases, monitoring compliance with employment laws and developing pay equity policy," he said. The Report was also welcomed by the Human Rights Commission. "A sound economy depends on fair pay and working conditions for all New Zealanders. Pay equity benefits everyone by removing artificial barriers in the labour market that cause economic disadvantage" Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan said. The Human Rights Commission welcomes today's launch of the Ministry of Women's Affairs discussion document on the "Next Steps Towards Pay Equity". "Despite the existence of equal pay legislation for almost three decades, it has not delivered pay equity for women and fails to comply with international human rights standards", Rosslyn Noonan, the Chief Human Rights Commissioner said. "Initially when the Equal Pay Act was passed, steady progress was made towards closing the gender pay gap. However, in the last 17 years women's average hourly earnings compared to men's has moved marginally from 79.3% to 83.4%." "It is notable that the Ministry of Women's Affairs discussion paper identifies that the pay gap is also an ethnicity issue. We need to consider the significance of statistics that show that average hourly earnings of Maori and Pacific women are 86% and 82% (respectively) of Pakeha women's average hourly earnings". Policies such as paid parental leave, equal employment opportunities and the promotion of fair bargaining can improve women's ability to participate fully in the labour market. However, this is just a small part of the picture. The real challenge is to systematically address covert forms of discrimination and hidden structural disadvantage. "New Zealand has the capacity rise to the challenge and take leadership on pay equity. The Ministry of Women's Affairs discussion paper is a sound basis for New Zealanders to engage in a national discussion and develop a fresh approach to pay equity. The Commission is looking forward to actively contributing to this discussion," Ms Noonan added. Read the discussion paper on the Ministry of Womens Affairs website [22].