Goff and Moroney push for pay equity
       
       

Labour leader Phil Goff was today the first person to put his name to a petition launched by Women's Affairs spokesperson Sue Moroney supporting pay equity and calling for the Government to honour pay investigations for school support staff and social workers, which it scrapped.

The petition calls for the government to:

The petition reverse its decision to scrap pay equity investigations for school support staff and social workers
Implement the findings of previously completed pay and employment equity reviews 
Develop a strategy to eliminate the gender pay gap in New Zealand.

The Government has axed two investigations aimed at improving the pay of women as it tries to save money by controlling public sector salaries.

The inquiries were aimed at female social workers at Child, Youth and Family, who are paid 9.5 per cent less than their male colleagues, and at inequities in the pay of mainly female school support workers.

“But State Services Minister Tony Ryall said the investigations would "generate an additional form of remuneration pressure that is unaffordable in the current economic and fiscal environment,” Sue Moroney said.

“National has a history of failing to recognise the importance of pay equity issues, but the Labour Party intends to hold this Government to account for ensuring women receive pay equity.

“This petition has significant support from a number of groups including Jim Jones from the PSA, Karen Whibley of the New Zealand Education Institute and Matt Frost who was a user of special education support services.

“There is no excuse in 2009 for a Government to turn a blind eye to the issues that face female dominated professions,” Sue Moroney said

ENDS

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