Bill a hindrance to pay equity and not in line with principles

Media Release 8 August 2017

Bill a hindrance to pay equity and not in line with principles

NZNO Industrial Services Manager Cee Payne says the draft Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill is disheartening and a step backwards for equality for nursing and women in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

“The Bill as it is, currently puts the onus on women to prove inequity and introduces extra barriers for women to be paid fairly for their work. I urge all political parties to question this and examine this proposition carefully,” said Cee Payne.

“We cannot understand why the Government would choose to make it harder for women to achieve equality when New Zealanders support and expect pay equity for women.

“Those undertaking nursing work should be able to choose the best comparator to their work, rather than with a job with the same employer in the first instance.

“This Bill gives no opportunity for outstanding pay equity claims to be assessed the same way as Kristine Bartlett’s was. Nurses haven’t established the best pay equity comparison yet but this Bill is off the mark as nurses deserve to find this out without having to jump through more hoops.

“It is deeply unfair to introduce a new law that makes it harder for women to achieve pay equity,” she said.

NZNO currently has introduced a pay equity claim for District Health Board nurses as part of its Multi-Employer Collective Agreement bargaining and is confident that this claim can be worked through fairly and in good faith using the pay equity principles agreed by the Government’s tripartite working group.

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