Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to the home page of the People’s Select Committee.
The People’s Select Committee has been established so the voices of the people of Aotearoa can be heard on pay equity.
The deadline for submissions has been extended to 5pm on Monday 4th August. Don’t forget to note if you wish to make an oral submission to the Committee.
Key moments in Aotearoa’s pay equity system. What changed, when, and why it matters.
In 2012, Kristine Bartlett and E tū (Service & Food Workers Union) file a claim against TerraNova arguing care and support work was underpaid due to sex-based undervaluation.
In 2015, the Court of Appeal confirms Equal Pay Act requires equal pay for work of equal value (pay equity). The Government convenes a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Pay Equity Principles that includes representatives from government, employers and unions. The group develops principles to guide employers and unions to work through pay equity claims. These were being developed and confirmed in 2016, multiple unions file pay equity claims for public sector workforces. The National Government introduced a Bill in 2017.
In January 2018, the Joint Working Group reconvened to resolve issues on:
Later that year, two public-sector claims settle for Oranga Tamariki social workers and Ministry of Education support workers.
To ensure that government agencies following the pay equity process comply with the principles and the law, the State Sector Framework (later referred to as the Public Sector Framework) is introduced.
It establishes a process for Public Service agencies with a pay equity claim to check in with a designated group from Treasury, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Public Service Commission at 6 specific milestone points in a pay equity process.
July 2020
The Act was passed unanimously by Parliament and welcomed by unions, government and business representatives.
August 2020
The Funded Sector Framework is introduced. This framework is based on the Public Sector Framework, but it applies to community, private and iwi organisations funded by Government to deliver health, education or social services (the “Funded Sector”). The frameworks’ purpose is the same, to ensure that claims progress in line with the principles and the law.
6 November 2020
The Equal Pay Amendment Act comes into force.
8 November 2021
The Funded Framework process is amended.
The amendments provide a way for community and iwi providers dependent on government funding to get assurance that funding will be increased to support their ability to pay increased wages as result of a pay equity settlement. It also allows for the possibility of settlements in a small part of the community sector to be extended to other workers in the sector, identified as doing the same or similar work, to avoid inequality between people doing the same work, as this leads to recruitment issues for some employers.
Education
(NZEI, PPTA, PSA, TEU):
Teachers (ECE, Primary, Secondary)
Residential School Youth/Support Workers
Education Advisors (Learning Support)
MoE Service Managers
Psychologists (Education, Corrections)
Kindergarten Admin
Kindergarten Cooks
Kindergarten TAs
Kōhanga Reo Kaiako
Tertiary Library Assistants
Council Library Assistants
Tertiary Admin/Clerical
Public Service
(PSA, NUPE,Police Assoc):
Public Service Admin & Clerical (Claim 1 and2)
Probation Officers/Senior Practitioners
Social Services (PSA):
Social Service Workers from 5 Non-GovernmentalOrganisations
Health (PSA, NZNO, Etū, MERAS):
Care & Support FrontlineManagers/Coordinators
Care & Support workers (3 claims)
Plunket Nurses/Admin
Community Midwives
Hospice Nurses
Health Care Assistants
Vet Nurses (Workers First)
Primary Care/Urgent Care Admin + Nurses
Med Lab Pre-Analytical Techs
Phlebotomists
Aged Residential Care Nurses
NZ Artificial Limb Service Workers
Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa Workers
27 May 2020
Teacher Aide pay equity settlement.
16 May 2022
DHB admin/clerical claim: first settlement under2020 Act.
2022 settlements
Kairahi i te reo (4 July)
School administrators (1 September)
NGO social workers (25 October)
2023 settlements
Nurses – Te Whatu Ora (29 June)
School librarians + library assistants (1 July)
Midwives – Te Whatu Ora (15 September)
Allied Health – Te Whatu Ora (17 October)
Librarians + Interpreters – Te Whatu Ora (26 October)
NGO social workers settlement extended.
2024 Settlements·
Ministry of Education Therapists (1 March)
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