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Fed up with what she says is a “lack of urgency” on the part of the government, New Zealand’s labor rights watchdog has launched its own investigation into the country’s lowest paid workers: the people of the Pacific.
The research will examine the nature and extent of discrimination against Pacific workers, and why it occurs, in an attempt to close persistent gender and ethnic pay gaps.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Dr. Karanina Sumeo said the last time her office took such a step was in 2012 when then-Commissioner Judy McGregor exposed exploitation in the elderly care industry.
McGregor went undercover as part of his investigation, leading to improvements in salaries, training, and staffing rates. Sumeo plans to travel the country to speak with Pacific workers and their employers, focusing on the manufacturing, retail, commerce and accommodation sectors.
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“This is urgent,” Sumeo said. “I live in South Auckland. Misery and poverty are on my face. Covid has hit us hard, we know it with our children who drop out of school to work. “
“I don’t want to see that in three years. But I don’t feel there is any urgency in the government and that is why we are doing research rather than another literature review, so that the rest of New Zealand is aware of this problem.
Sumeo chose to focus on Pacific workers because they were the most marginalized, according to a report from his office.
He discovered that Pasifika was bypassed to advance the job through training and promotions; and discrimination in the workplace was often not reported for fear of retaliation.
Pacific women were the lowest paid group in New Zealand, with a pay gap between them and European men in the public sector of a staggering 27 percent.
There are no similar data from the private sector as there are no mandatory reporting requirements.
In the last political period, the government approved a new wage equity law focused on gender equity, which allows workers to make a claim for wage equity, arguing that their sector was poorly paid because it was traditionally female, without going to the courts.
Activists, including Sumeo, said the government also needed to enforce wage transparency within that law, by requiring companies to disclose pay rates, including on job listings.
That didn’t happen and work on pay transparency has since stalled, despite recent transparency laws adopted in similar countries like Australia.
“I want equal pay for everyone,” Sumeo said. “But we are still talking only about gender. It’s bigger than that, that’s why we need more transparency. Unfortunately, I don’t see any signs that it is being addressed. “
The campaign will be announced on Monday. He already had the support of the unions, which have been actively behind the commissioner’s previous equity work.
E Tū’s campaign organizer Fala Haulangi said she was angry at the lack of progress.
Many of his workers had two or three jobs to make ends meet, often sleeping only a few hours a night. They had a limited quality of life, he said.
“We always talk about inequality and poverty in New Zealand, but all we get in response is lip service,” Haulangi said. “The real way to go about it is to rank the income of working people at the bottom.”
Healthcare worker Nia Bartley said workers who had held the same position for years were often unaware that they were underpaid and feared repercussions if they questioned it.
“They have been told that they should be grateful to have a job, even though they are highly qualified. Keeping them at the same rate as someone younger is similar to exploitation. “
The Pacific People Report says the discrimination began in the 1970s, when the Pasifika were first brought to New Zealand to do jobs that the locals refused to do, and continues today.
Supplied / Stuff
Pasifika workers Nia Bartley (left) and Jennifer Laulala, who are speaking about the ethnic pay gap for Pacific people in New Zealand.
Jennifer Laulala, who immigrated to New Zealand from Samoa, said Things when she first came to New Zealand, she didn’t realize she was being poorly paid.
“When I started, I thought $ 20 an hour was huge. I had no idea about rent or bills or anything. “
Laulala, who now works for the Justice Ministry, said it took her a long time to realize the impacts of discrimination. Once he did, he began educating his family and community, starting with his daughter.
“But I’m tired of having table conversations about it. I feel like it’s time to act. “
Sumeo said the investigation would begin in January and, once complete, would make recommendations on policies, legislation and regulations in 2022.
“I expect some nervousness on the part of companies that may not want people to question their recruiting and promotion practices,” he said. “But I hope people start to question their own beliefs and prejudices. This could lead us to think differently. “
