Government scraps pay equity investigations

25 February, 2009

The Government has come under criticism for its decision to scrap two government investigations into pay and employment equity for women on the basis that addressing general discrimination would cost too much.

The investigations were set up by the previous Government and include research into why social workers at Child, Youth and Family are paid 9.5% less than their male counterparts and into inequities in female school support workers' wages.

Cancelling the investigations, State Services Minister Tony Ryall said addressing pay inequity would "generate an additional form of remuneration pressure that is unaffordable in the current economic and fiscal environment".

Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly says working women deserve better.

"It is one thing to urge pay restraint in the public sector but quite another to endorse the unfair underpayment of these workers. The Government is effectively telling its own female employees that it doesn't care if it is discriminating against them.

"Women deserve better treatment than this. The Government's actions send out an unacceptable message to other employers in New Zealand. We say that the economic situation cannot be used to justify discriminatory pay and conditions.

"New Zealand has been a leader and has shown great innovation in its approach to pay and employment equity. Good progress is starting to be made. It is important that this continues."

The cancellation of the investigations into pay and employment equity comes as the Government signals there will be no money for pay rises for public employees this year.