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PSA files discrimination complaint against government

30/06/2009 9:09:07 a.m.

The Public Service Association is claiming that the government’s scrapping of a pay equity investigation, aimed at addressing a pay gap for social workers at Child Youth and Family, is a breach of the Human Rights Act.

“We have filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission,” says PSA national secretary Brenda Pilott.

“We’re claiming that axing the investigation aimed at closing a pay gap for CFY social workers is an act of discrimination.” “That’s because CYF social workers are being underpaid primarily because most of them are women,” says Brenda Pilot.

A pay and employment equity review revealed that men employed at Child Youth and Family are paid on average 9.5% more than their women colleagues. Social work is the largest job category at CYF. The review has shown that the 9.5% pay gap between men and women at CYF is primarily due to the fact that 80 per cent of the service’s social workers are women.

“We’ve asked the Human Right Commission to investigate our complaint that by stopping the programme to close the pay gap at CYF the government is discriminating against women,” says Brenda Pilott.

“We’re also claiming that the Ministry of Social Development is breaching the Human Rights Act by paying its social workers less then its male workers primarily because they’re women.”

The PSA is seeking a declaration from the Human Rights Commission that the government and MSD are in breach of the Human Rights Act.

“We’re also asking the commission to order a reinstatement of the investigation aimed at closing the pay gap at Child Youth and Family,” says Brenda Pilott. “

"And we want the commission to order that the pay gap be addressed through collective agreement negotiations involving the PSA and MSD.”

“This needs to happen because CYF struggles to recruit and retain social workers who are responsible for the care and protection of the most vulnerable children in the country.”

“If we’re to recruit and retain people with the skills and ability to do this difficult and demanding work we need to ensure we provide them with appropriate pay and conditions,” says Brenda Pilott.

Media contact Nick Hirst 027 600-5498. PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott 027 430-6016

Pay and Employment Equity Rallies

Today Tuesday June 30

Wellington: 12.30pm in front of Parliament

Auckland: midday corner of Victoria and Queen Streets

The PSA supports these rallies to protest the fact that women in New Zealand are paid less than men because they’re women.

We were the first country to give women the vote. And yet 115 years later women are earning on average 12 to 15 cents an hour less than men.

On May 14 the government scrapped the pay and employment equity unit at the Department of Labour cutting seven jobs. 

The unit was established to address the pay gap between men and women.

This on-going discrimination against women must be addressed.

Public Service Association