JOIN THE PSA NOW TO BE ENSURE EXTENSION FOR SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL WORKERS.

 

The PSA raised two claims for NGO social services workers, for those who do social work and one for all other female-dominated occupations. This claim was raised with five employers and now settled, we want an expedient sector extension.

What is Pay Equity and why does it impact me

What does this mean for me?

This is potentially life changing because your work will be valued properly, and you will be paid what you are worth. It means you get to work somewhere that is important to you and your values without sacrificing your pay.

What is pay equity and why does it impact you?

PSA, the union for social workers, began a process in September 2019 to achieve the wages that you deserve by filing a pay equity claim. We have settled the claim for the five employers and now need your help to secure this settlement across the sector.

Pay equity is about women and men receiving the same pay for doing jobs that might seem different on the surface, but in reality require the same or similar degrees of skills, responsibility, conditions, experience and effort. Often workers in female dominated occupations have experienced undervaluation based on sex, perceptions and prejudices, which minimised the value of their skills, responsibilities, conditions, experience and effort.

Social services workers in the NGO sector are undervalued and the PSA are working to have this corrected. You can find out more about how the pay equity process works here.

What is happening 

The PSA raised two claims for NGO social services workers, for those who do social work and one for all other female-dominated occupations. This claim was raised with five employers and now settled, we want an expedient sector extension.

We are planning to achieve this mid-year so we need to do a lot of work to ensure the best possible deal. We have begun focusing on the second part of the claim covering those who are not doing social work, but work in social services.

Our goal 

To negotiate a settlement that is comparable to Oranga Tamariki social workers (including the salary system and progression), any other relevant matters, and how the government are going to pay for this - ACHIEVED

To achevie sector extension we now need you to get involved

We need you to get involved

Your PSA delegates and Pay Equity team have been working hard at the bargaining table to get the best possible deal. It is in everyone’s interest that we achieve the best possible result in a timely fashion because it will flow to all social services workers in the NGO sector.

To be successful in persuading government that this is a priority we need the Social Services Sector to be unionised, members need to encourage co-workers to join the PSA here, the union for social workers, so we can be stronger as we work for equity.

The Public Service Association, the union that covers Social Services Social Workers, has negotiated the Social Work Pay Equity settlement, now it’s the extension and embedding of the settlement into Collective Agreements.  We'd love you to join the PSA (which you can do by clicking here), but if you just want more information then sign-up to our updates via the form below and we'll update you regularly on what is happening by email or SMS:

As Social Services Social Worker the work you do is often unseen and not understood.

We want you to tell us your story and what achieving the pay equity would mean or has meant for you.

Click here to record a video, send a voice message, or write your story.

To become a delegate:

PSA delegates are a part of a team. Even after you’ve done your training, you’ll be supported by other delegates and your PSA organiser. You can also contact Te Roopu Tohutohu Manaaki, the PSA’s member advice and support centre, for more help. 

The role of delegates 

You can also contact us here to express your interest or find out more.