Otago Graduate Women member, Graduate Women New Zealand Advocacy committee member and United Nations Commission on the Status of Women delegate Anna Campbell said the ‘‘backwards step’’ literally cancelled pay equity claims overnight — claims which would have covered about 180,000 workers, mostly women in care, disability, education, health and community sectors.
The claims had been lodged to secure equal pay for work of equal value.
A large group of New Zealand organisations has asked the United Nations to investigate whether the government’s recent legal changes amounted to systemic discrimination against women.
Mrs Campbell has called for it to be an election issue at the November 7 election.
‘‘That's what I'll be voting on this year.’’
She said Graduate Women and the National Council of Women of New Zealand had been campaigning for equal pay and equal value since the days of Kate Sheppard, when she formed the National Council of Women and Suffragettes to win the women's right to vote.
‘‘The fact that there's been no movement from the government at all in the last 12 months, has been really disappointing.
‘‘I think the government's really saying, ‘we don't value these people and the work that they do.’
‘‘So, this [complaint to the UN] is the next step.
‘‘The cost to New Zealanders if we don't have equal pay for equal value ... far outweighs the cost savings to the budget that the government announced.
‘‘It's absolutely a backward step, but I think it's really encouraging to see, even though ministers may make these decisions in their offices, that there are plenty of people within government, within civil society, that are working together to try to turn things around. So, I'm quite hopeful.’’
Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at the NZ Human Rights Commissioner Gail Pachenko said the official complaint was sent to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which is one of the nine core international human rights treaties.
Mrs Campbell said she would be waiting with bated breath to see what the United Nations came back with.
‘‘Our great grandmothers and mothers fought for us to have a vote, a bank account, a job — we have a duty to fight for the right to have a voice in law making — whether it be fisheries reform, mining, or equal pay for equal value.
‘‘We will be campaigning locally, nationally and internationally to make sure that the government can't just make legislation that is fast-tracked for the wrong reasons.’’
