Nurses welcome Labour’s commitment to pay equity

9 September

Nurses welcome Labour’s commitment to pay equity

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes the release of the Labour Party’s Women’s policy today. The policy outlines Labour’s solutions for equality, opportunity and choice for all women, including closing the gender pay gap, eliminating violence against women and improving maternal mental health.

“The NZNO manifesto for nursing and health shares many of the same key policies, including raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and scrapping the 90-day fire-at-will legislation,” says NZNO president, Nano Tunnicliff.

“We’re very pleased this political party recognises the cross-sector, wrap-around approach that needs to be taken if New Zealand is to be a truly equal society.”

“93 percent of our members are women and our members who work in the aged care sector are some of the lowest paid workers in New Zealand, earning only slightly above the minimum wage, on average. Their work is skilled and demanding and we know that their pay rates are related to their gender rather than their skills,”

“Government action is needed to close the gender pay gap, so it is good to see Labour supporting the Green’s Equal Pay Amendment Bill,” Tunnicliff says.

NZNO is looking forward to seeing more detail about the policy, especially information about when and how the policies will be implemented, should Labour form a coalition after the election.

ENDS

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