Time to Move! CEVEP Campaign Newsletter, July 2003
Pay Equity is back on the agenda
So CEVEP needs your help to keep the pressure on
Government's initiatives on pay equity
Pay equity is back on the political agenda. On 22 May the Hon Margaret Wilson, Minister of Labour, announced the establishment of a taskforce to progress pay and employment equity between women and men in the public service — specifically in the health and education sectors. The taskforce will report back in December 2003.
The Taskforce, chaired by Diana Crossan, is analysing the factors influencing pay and employment equity in the health and education sectors and developing a five year plan of action to address them. The taskforce is made up of nominees from the Department of Labour, Ministry of Women's Affairs, and the State Services Commission. There are also four nominees from the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, representatives of the public service and the health and education sectors.
The Taskforce has a steering group as well as subgroups to represent the different sectors to carry out the work. These sub-groups will be chaired by Joanna Beresford, previously the National Secretary of NZEI. The terms of reference for the Taskforce can be viewed online.
Report on all the submissions to MWA
The Ministry has published the summary of the submissions to their discussion document Next Steps Towards Pay Equity. Eighty three submissions from the public were received including one from CEVEP. In addition a few public sector agencies put in submissions. Five submissions were received from business and employer organisations — all opposing policy action on equal pay for work of equal value. Sensibly, the majority of submitters supported further steps towards pay equity and called for government action to address equal pay for work for equal value. They were all clear that to make equal pay policies effective, the gap needs to be addressed with legislation and other policy mechanisms.
The summary gives an overview of the perspectives of the submissions, outlines the broad debate on pay equity, and the possible policy directions. There is also a section on examples of occupations in which skills are undervalued and what contributes to that, as well as looking at the particular issues around pay equity for Maori women, and for Pacific women.
Copies of the report are available free from the Ministry of Women's Affairs, P O Box 10049 Wellington or on the Ministry website. (Click on Publications and go to Pay Equity.)
CEVEP's finances — Please donate
CEVEP's finances are dwindling at a time when we need to be financially healthy. The website has huge potential but we are limited by the cost of additions, enhancements and maintenance. Our recent poster campaigns have been very successful but these are running out. We need to produce more resources. Donations are needed now and gratefully accepted. Please send in your donation to CEVEP PO Box 12361, Wellington.
It's Time to Move on Pay Equity: What you can do
CEVEP needs your help to keep the pressure up.
Some quick suggestions follow.
Write a letter to the Editor and your MP
Multi task — One size fits all! Write a letter to your local paper and copy it to your MP. Addresses for the major dailies are in the box below. MP's email addresses are online. You can also copy it to appropriate Ministers — Ruth Dyson (Women's Affairs); Margaret Wilson. They're all there and it makes the effort of writing the letter worthwhile. If you need information for your letter you'll find it under how to lobby.
Letters can be emailed to the editor as follows:
- New Zealand Herald (form to complete)
- The Dominion Post: letters@dompost.co.nz
- The Press: editorial@press.co.nz
- The Otago Daily Times: odt.editor@alliedpress.co.nz
Recently in The Dominion Post there have been letters to the editor commenting on the need for pay equity. For example
Not just the middle class
THE DOMINION POST, 12 JUN 2003, Edition 2, Page 4.
In your interview with Laila Harre (Magazine, May 31), you state that pay equity is "the sort of issue that could stir up the middle class". Quite right. But why leave it at the middle class?
What the article missed was that alongside the thousands of nurses whose worth is so undervalued and would thus benefit from pay equity, there are thousands more clerical workers, caregivers, community workers, hospitality workers, cleaners and other working women whose jobs have been undervalued for decades.
That makes pay equity an issue for all working women as well as men in those professions.
Recent moves by the Government to consider pay equity in the state sector are good. But let's make sure that it's not just the "middle class" who get stirred up on what is, after all, a basic issue of human rights.
ALASTAIR DUNCAN
Service and Food Workers
Also published in The Dominion Post have been letters from Lyn Middleton, General Secretary of PSA, with the heading "Arguments for Pay Equity" (12 June 2003), and Geoff Annals, Chief Executive from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation a week later headed "Why Women Lag Behind".
Order some more of CEVEP's posters and postcards
If you want something for your money, we still have posters and postcards for the Prepare your daughter for working life — give her less pocket money than your son campaign. Order from info@cevep.org.nz.
Donations and Orders
When you send donations or orders we need at least the following information:
[Name]
[Address]
[Email Address]
May we add you to CEVEP's mailing list?
Send donations to : Coalition for Equal Value Equal Pay, PO Box 12361, Wellington or email info@cevep.org.nz
Update CEVEP's database — send us your email
One way to cut costs which also allows for efficient and fast information delivery is for CEVEP to send you material by email. It's quicker, easier, much cheaper and more environmentally friendly. You can help by sending your email address to us at info@cevep.org.nz and including any addresses for others you think would like information on the pay equity developments. We will still snail mail to those without addresses. We think we may need to let you know in a hurry who to lobby on what, if we are to make the most of current government moves in the pay equity direction. Remember that while small, the principal objections to pay equity come from employers — a well resourced and effective lobby group. We believe there are more of us and that we are smarter and better organised. We need you on our database to prove it. Please Join Us Today!!
Email CEVEP at info@cevep.org.nz
This webpage: http://www.cevep.org.nz/history/index.html
Last reviewed February 2004. This website created by First Bite of the Apple.