Suffrage Day: Kate Sheppard would not be impressed

The Government is pushing through changes to employment law that will set back women’s equality in the workforce, says the Women’s Council of the CTU.

“The proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act will impact badly on women workers,” said CTU Women’s Council co-convenor Suzanne McNabb. “It is a travesty on this Suffrage Day (Sunday 19 September) that New Zealand, which once led the world in women’s rights and gender equality, is now being taken backwards by this Government which wants the contribution of women in the workforce but is oblivious to the ways in which its policies are systematically disadvantaging them.”

“The 90 day trial period is bad for women because with more frequent career breaks their turnover in jobs is greater and so they are likely to face more trial periods of employment without any rights of appeal during that time. Women are disproportionately represented in lower paid jobs where exploitation of the 90 day law will be at its worst.”

“Other changes such as the sale of the fourth week’s leave will have negative consequences for women too. We know that employers will find ways to pressure workers to work longer and sell off leave, and it is the lowest paid who will find it hard to resist. Selling off the fourth week’s leave will impact on women by leaving them with fewer holidays to look after children in their school holidays.”

“The proposal to allow the demand for a medical certificate after one day’s sickness will impact more on women who are most often in the position of acting as carer for sick children. This measure is a licence for harassment and unreasonable behaviour by employers, and it is women who will bear the brunt.”

“The changes to the ERA and Holidays Act are unreasonable, unfair and unnecessary – especially for women.”

ENDS

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