The Unionist, Issue 59, Oct 6 2006
The CTU is pleased that the gender pay gap was dropping, but it was still along way to go before we saw true pay and employment equity for women.
Either read on, or download a printable version here (PDF file, 76 kb). 
Movement On Gender Pay Gap - Much More Needed, says CTU
The Council of Trade Unions said yesterday it was pleased that the gender pay gap was dropping, but it was still along way to go before we saw true pay and employment equity for women.
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| L to R:Jane Lawrence and Peggy Nawalaniec from Wintec at the CTU’s Pay and Employment Equity and Learning Reps stalls at the Association of Staff In Tertiary Education conference earlier this week. Jane signed up to be a learning rep at the conference, and Peggy won the bottle of bubbly in the PaEE prize draw! |
The NZ Income Survey for the June 2006 quarter, released yesterday, shows that average hourly earnings for female full-time wage and salary workers increased from $17.93 to $18.96, and for men it increased from $21.35 to $21.72.
“Working women will be welcoming news that the gender pay gap has decreased from 16 per cent to 13 per cent in the last year,” Council of Trade Unions Vice President Helen Kelly said.
However she said the gender pay gap is still persistently hovering at around the 13 to 15 per cent level, and at current progress we would still be many years away from true pay and employment equity for women.
“The Government has set up a pay and employment equity taskforce to address the pay gap in the public sector and that should mean the figures in years to come will be even better. Unions are committed to seeing this process through, and want to see it extended to the private sector also,” said Helen Kelly.
The Public Service Association’s newly appointed Pay and Employment Equity coordinator Nanette Cormack said that at the current rate of progress, it would be twenty years before women were paid the same as men.
“While it is good news that the pay gap between men and women full time wage earners has reduced in the last two years by one percent, more needs to be done to ensure that men and women get paid equitably.”
“Twenty years is too long for women to wait to be paid at the same rate as men,” she said.
The CTU has been campaigning this year on wage issues on a number of fronts, including pay and employment equity, lifting the minimum wage and ending age based discrimination for young workers through youth rates. Next week the Unionist will look at the next phase of the youth rates campaign, including the Wellington rally in late October.
First Maori President at ASTE celebrated
Te Runanga o Nga Kaimahi Maori o Aotearoa joined with the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education (ASTE) in their celebrations this week to welcome their first Maori President Sharon Stevens.
“The election of Sharon is a significant and remarkable statement from ASTE Members who have declared proudly the value of Maori to the trade union movement,“ CTU Vice President Maori Sharon Clair said.
“It is exciting seeing gender inequalities addressed at the highest level of unions, as more wahine move into senior leadership positions,” she said.
“We look forward to strengthening Maori union activism through the dynamic and exquisite leadership that Sharon brings,” Sharon Clair said.
Weekly Events Listing
Unions Local
Unions Tauranga
Mon Oct 9, 4pm
Seafarers Centre, Hull Rd,
Mt Maunganui
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz
Unions Hawkes Bay
Mon Oct 9, 5.30pm
TUC, 2 Lipton Pl, Napier
dhyde@nduunion.org.nz
Unions Wellington
Mon Oct 16, 5:00 p.m.
CTU, Level 7, Education House, 178 Willis St., Welington
pbolster@anet.co.nz
Unions Canterbury
Tue Oct 17, 4pm
TUC, 199 Armagh Street.
Karena.Brown@epmu.org.nz
Unions Auckland
Thur Oct 19, 4pm.
Trades Hall, 147 Gt Nth Rd.
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz
Unions Manawatu - note new date.
Fri Oct 20, 3pm.
PSA House, 41-47 King St,
Palmerston North
john.shennan@psa.org.nz
Unions Northland
Tue Oct 31, 5pm.
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz
Other Events and Campaigns
First Friday Drinks
From 5:30’ish, Brix Bar, Abel Tasman Hotel cnr. Willis & Dixon Streets, Wellington
Workers Charter Conference
Speakers include Andrew Little, Laila Harré, Sue Bradford.
Saturday 7th October, 11am - 5.30pm. Followed by shared dinner and social.
Auckland Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland. Contact: daphne@randomstatic.net, (027) 220 9552
Tuesday October 17th – International Anti Poverty Day. Service and Food Workers Union’s Clean Start Campaign - events in Auckland and Wellington.
• Auckland. Rally and March. Meet at Britomart at 5pm on 17th
• Wellington. Rally and March. Meet at Parliament at 12noon on 17th.
• Thursday October 19th – Anti Poverty Forum. 6.30pm, Nga Tapuwae Community Centre, 253 Buckland Rd, Mangere.
For more information about these, contact Kirsty on (09) 375 2687 or kirsty.mccully@sfwu.org.nz
Labour Day Party
Chris Knox & several great bands
7:30-11:00 p.m.,Monday 23rd October
Bar Bodega, Ghuznee Street
Wellington
TUEA Reunion
This year marks 20 years since the establishment of the Trade Union Education Authority – a milestone worth celebrating. Staff, members of the original task force, Board members and those associated with TUEA are invited to a reception at Parliament on Thursday 9th November. There is a dinner for staff to follow. If you are interested, please contact Suzanne McNabb suzanne.mcnabb@aus.ac.nz or (04) 801-4798 for further information and details about this event.
Parihaka Peace Festival 2007
The 2nd Parihaka International Peace Festival runs January 5th 6th 7th 2007. You are invited to buy ticket/s to our next festival directly off us through the festival’s website e-ticket facility. The offer runs from now through to 4th November 2006. The special price before November 4 is $99 per adult, after which is will be $135 for the remainder of the year. All children up to 15yrs and adults over 60yrs are $10 at all times. Tickets at the discounted price can be purchased from www.parihaka.com
CTU Meetings and Training
‘Embedding Pay and Employment Equity into Collective Bargaining’
Christchurch 10 & 11 October (Tuesday/Wednesday). Auckland 16 & 17 October (Monday/Tuesday).
Contact Nikki Burrows on nikkib@nzctu.org.nz or (04) 385 1334 xtn 840
Workplace Productivity Challenge: Exploring Workplace Productivity Issues.
Seminars are as follows
Wed 4 October, 9am-4.30
Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 22
Thurs 5 October, 9am-4.30
AMI Building, 2nd Floor
Cnr Ronwood Ave/Osterley Way
Manukau
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 22
Wed 11 October, 9am-4.30
Edgar Sports Centre
Cnr Portsmouth Drive and Midland Street, Dunedin
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 29
Thurs 12 October, 9am-4.30
EPMU, 298 Cashell Street, Christchurch. sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 29
Thurs 19t October, 9am-4.30
St Columba’s Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland Central
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Oct 6
Thurs 2 November, 9am-4.30
A’fare, Lower Dent Street, Whangarei. sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Oct 20
Wed 8 November, 9am-4.30
Te Manawa Museum, 396 Main Street, Palmerston North sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Oct 27
Wed 15 November, 9am-4.30
St Johns Church, Cnr Willis & Dixon Streets, Wellington sandyo@nzctu.org.nz by Sep 15
Contact
If you have any information about upcoming CTU events please contact:
Sam Huggard - (04) 802 3817, email: samh@nzctu.org.nz
