Coalition Backs Paying School Support Staff Fairly

31 March 2011

The government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to pay inequity as yet another report shows clear evidence of gender pay discrimination, says the Pay Equity Challenge Coalition.

An independent report carried out for the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa once again shows that women are being paid less than men in jobs which require similar skills and experience.

“The job evaluation of school support staff which is an almost completely feminised workforce, found pay differences of up to $7.95 an hour when comparing people doing similar jobs in male-dominated sectors. “Once again we have clear evidence that the gender pay gap is alive and well and that low pay for women is linked to gender discrimination,” says Pay Equity Challenge Coalition spokesperson Angela McLeod.

“The effect of women being paid less than men for work of equal value means women are subsidising the economy to the tune of at least $4 billion every year.”

“This government has a shameful record on pay and employment equity and continues to ignore the low pay reality of thousands of New Zealand’s women workers,” says Ms McLeod.

The Pay Equity Challenge Coalition continues to call on the government to increase the pay of those workers already identified by pay investigations as underpaid, ensure that employers comply with all gender pay legislation, and create a strategy to close the gender pay gap in both the public and private sectors.

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