PSA’s first female national secretary and equal pay leader
PSA members and staff are deeply saddened by the recent and sudden death on November 13 of former PSA national secretary Lynn Middleton.
Lynn played an important and significant role in the union movement, working for NZEI, NZCTU, PSA and Education International. After leaving her role as women’s officer at the CTU, Lynn became PSA national secretary in 1999. She was the first woman to take on that role.
As a member of the newly formed three person PSA Secretariat until 2004, Lynn led the union into a period of strong membership growth, growing engagement with Government and employers. She formed important relationships with key leaders throughout the public service.
Lynn was a committed feminist and promoted the rights of working women throughout her life. She was a powerful advocate for equal pay and pay equity and represented the PSA on the Labour-led Government’s Pay and Employment Equity Taskforce.
Lynn was also a founding member of the Public Service Tripartite Forum, where she successfully advocated for the creation of a public service superannuation scheme.
Lynn was gregarious and fun to work with. She embraced life and people, putting everyone at ease and spreading her warmth and support.
PSA President Janet Quigley remembers Lynn as a special person who mentored and paved the way for other women in the union movement both here and internationally.
We will all miss her dearly.
National Secretary Kerry Davies
Issues
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Also in this issue:
Working for Free
From November 18 New Zealand women effectively began working for free until the end of the year because of the 11.9% pay gap between men and women.
Kindly leading the way to Equal Pay
As women began working for free in New Zealand on November 18, the PSA was working hard on a number of fronts to close the gender pay gap.
Stand Up for Library Workers
Local government library assistants launched a campaign on November 22 to raise awareness of their equal pay claim and the work they do.
Stark statistics help fight for equal pay and transparency
More than a third of PSA members or 27,291 of you shared your pay information with us in our first union-wide pay survey in September.
CTU Conference: “We are delivering, but we have so much more to deliver”
The CTU Biennial conference in October was an opportunity to reflect on the significant gains made for working people during the Government’s first two years in power - and to challenge it to go further.
Fair Pay Agreements will give workers a fairer deal
The PSA and other unions believe Fair Pay Agreements will offer a fairer deal for many of this country’s most vulnerable workers.
Honours for workers on frontline
PSA members were to the fore as the Public Service Day awards
were announced in November.
PSAY Hui Inspires Success
Inspirational speeches at this year’s PSA Youth Hui have propelled Elvisa Van Der Leden into a seat at the council table.
“It opens their eyes”: Sector Māngai elected at Hui
There’s a mix of old and new amongst the Sector Māngai elected at Public Sector, DHB and Combined sector hui in August and September.
Reducing Māori Health Inequities
Appearing before the Māori Affairs Select Committee to speak to the Inquiry into Health Inequities for Māori was “awe-inspiring” for Allan Franks.
‘It’s important to have Māori and female voices at the table’
From small town Aotearoa to the United Nations – it’s been a big year for one PSA member from Te Puni Kokiri.
100 Years On - Labour is still not a Commodity
The 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organisation this year is a timely reminder of its continued relevance.
Your voice, our system
The PSA is hosting regional and online health forums in December to give members another opportunity to have their say in the reshaping of services.
Fearsome fighter
PSA delegate Kelly Broerse says her colleagues at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) in Auckland are used to her showing up at work with black eyes and bruises.
A lifetime of discovery
Geologist, science communicator and PSA member Hamish Campbell can look back on forty years of “exploration, adventure and discovery” as he retires this year.
