“E tū union member Kristine Bartlett and her fellow workers are the perfect women to celebrate on International Women’s Day,” says CTU Vice-President Rachel Mackintosh.
“They are modern-day heroes in the advance towards equal pay in New Zealand. Their story is history in the making.”
Low-paid carer Kristine Bartlett and other trade union members have been at the forefront of equal pay legal cases since 2012. Because of these cases, the idea of equal pay for work of equal value is gaining real traction with the public. They have also brought to people’s attention the hundreds of thousands of women who are on poverty wages just because they do caring work – whether that be in aged care, working with people with disabilities or in schools and in early childhood care.
“The Equal Pay Act upholds the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, but it has taken the courage of people like Kristine Bartlett to see that principle realised”, says Mackintosh.
The CTU is represented on the Joint Working Group that has been set up by the Government to establish principles for the Equal Pay Act.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic cultural and political achievements of women.