New Zealand urged to address gender pay inequality
- Claire Lee
Campaigners in New Zealand are calling on the government to address the nation’s gender pay gap and retirement saving gap.
“It’s outrageous that an entire half a century after New Zealanders fought for equal pay, large sections of our communities are not being paid fairly or equally. Every day the Government doesn’t act is another day where families have less money,” said MindTheGap campaigner Jo Cribb, who is also co-founder of the campaign.
“The Government has said it is looking at addressing pay gaps but hasn’t committed to a timeframe. If there was ever a time to honour the good work done by those pioneers of the Equal Pay legislation, it is now,” he said, reported NZ Herald.
“We call on the Government to publicly commit to introducing mandatory pay gap reporting,” he added.
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When the Equal Pay legislation was passed, women’s advocate Sue Kedgley said she was elated, but her hopes were dashed quickly.
“Naively we assumed that equal pay for women would be implemented as soon as the legislation came into force, but it became obvious that the Equal Pay Act lacked teeth,” she said.
“There wasn’t any real penalty for employers who didn’t comply with the law. Nor was there any requirement that employers make adjustments to ensure female employees catch up with their male colleagues or ensure they were equitably paid,” she added.
