Equal Pay Amendment Bill - What does this mean for you as an Employer?

It is no secret that New Zealand is regarded as a bit behind the times in regard to gender pay inequality. There are varying explanations for this but the consensus is that women take a lead role in raising children and therefore have a disrupted career path and reduced capacity in the workplace.  

On the 125th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in NZ the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Iain Lees-Galloway, and Acting Minister for Women, Eugenie Sage, introduced a bill to address the process by which an Employee can address a perceived pay disparity on the basis of gender.  Currently, the only way for an Employee to address this is through making a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex through the court system.

The Equal Pay Amendment Bill, which has reached the second reading in Parliament and if passed, this Bill will improve the process for raising and progressing pay equity claims, and to eliminate and prevent discrimination on the basis of sex in the remuneration and employment terms and conditions for work done within female-dominated jobs.

Please be reassured we will keep you updated on this Bill and will support you with the next stage; in the meantime we encourage you to review your remuneration rates and positions to make sure your decision making aligns with gender equality.

You can read the proposed bill here or click the button below: