This Human Rights Day (December 10), the PSA is calling for the Government and local councils to deliver pay equity for care and support workers and library workers respectively.
The care and support pay equity claim impacts more than 65,000 people - mostly women - across the motu. The library claim covers library workers employed by Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin councils.
Both claims have proven that the employers pay these workers less than the value of their work because most of the workers are women, said Alex Davies, Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Assistant Secretary.
"Thousands more women employed or funded by government are moving through the pay equity process to address the undervaluation of their work," Davies said.
"For every day without settlements, the Government and councils are knowingly discriminating against these workers, who are carrying the financial burden of their employers’ discrimination and mismanagement.
"The government cannot continue abdicate all responsibility for fully funding equity across government funded service providers," said Alex Davies.
"The Government and councils get some wiggle room in their balance sheets while workers are struggling to make ends meet."
Despite sustained calls for a commitment to full funding for a renewed care and support settlement, the Government has yet to respond.
"This Human Rights Day the Government must drop the unnecessary pay equity hurdles and remember this is simply a matter of fairly honouring complex, important work," Davies said.
Meanwhile, councils have continually delayed the library workers claim, despite having years to prepare.
ENDS
