Equal Pay DVD Launched On International Women’s Day

A DVD that highlights the need for women to receive equal pay and equal opportunities is being launched in Wellington tomorrow (Thursday, March 8) which is International Working Women’s Day.

The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI Te Riu Roa) is joining with other unions for the first public screening of ‘On The Level’, a DVD created by the NZ Council of Trade Unions and the Department of Labour, that explains the pay gap between men and women.

“The fact is women in New Zealand are paid 14 to 18 per cent less than men,” says Irene Cooper, the National President of NZEI Te Riu Roa. “The average hourly rate of pay for women working full time is 16 per cent less than men’s average hourly pay rate – and that adds up to a $400,000 difference over a working lifetime.”

“This situation is simply not fair. We need to close the pay gap so that women are fairly rewarded for the vital work they do. Women also need to be treated equitably in the workplace, with fair employment practices relating to recruitment, professional development and promotion.”

“This is why it’s appropriate, on International Working Women’s Day, that we launch the DVD which outlines the need to establish pay and employment equity for women in New Zealand,” says Irene Cooper.

International Working Women’s Day was first celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than one million women and men attended rallies in those countries, campaigning for women's right to work, to be educated, to vote and to hold public office.

“Women have achieved a lot in the last 96 years and International Working Women’s Day is an occasion to celebrate the advances that have been made,” says Irene Cooper.

For NZEI members in particular, there have been campaigns that have closed the pay gap by achieving a unified pay scale for secondary, primary and kindergarten teachers. Many other early childhood teachers are also catching up on pay.

But there is still work to be done. NZEI is particularly concerned about its 10,000 support staff members in schools and centres who are predominantly female and predominantly low paid, and often have limited job security.

NZEI’s 46,000 members are also linked to a global action on International Working Women’s Day. The union belongs to Educational International, which represents 348 education unions with more than 30 million members worldwide. An EI delegation is calling on all United Nations member states to take action to eliminate discrimination and violence against women.

“All women have a right to live their lives free of fear and abuse,” says Irene Cooper. “So we’re proud to be linking arms with education colleagues from every corner of the world to combat discrimination and violence against women.”

Media are invited to attend the launch of the CTU’s Pay and Employment Equity DVD ‘On The Level’ at:

5pm Thursday March 8, International Women’s Day 6th floor, PSA House 11 Aurora Terrace, off The Terrace Wellington

ENDS

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