‘Why have they forgotten us?’: Prime Minister urged to take action on gender pay gap for Maori and Pasifika women

Court reporter Jennifer Laulala feels forgotten and abandoned as the public service works to close gender pay gaps.

Laulala today made an emotional plea to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to “put her promises into practice” for Maori and Pasifika women.

“I wake up every morning [thinking], why? “Lualala said.

“Is it the color of my skin that I have forgotten?”

Laulala, who has been with the Ministry of Justice in Manukau District Court for more than a decade, addressed Ardern at the public servants union, the Public Services Association (PSA) conference.

Laulala is involved with PSA’s Pasifika and women’s networks and said she had written to the ministry’s executive director “over and over again” urging him not to forget about them.

“I said, ‘Don’t forget that Pasifika women are at the bottom of the pay scale.’

Ardern told Laulala that he was not going to argue with her and that the government knew that the wage gap at the Ministry of Justice where she worked was among the worst.

“There is nothing defensible about a pay gap, a gender pay gap, a pay gap that can be clearly demonstrated around ethnicity. There is no justification.”

Ardern said the government had made progress on issues of pay equity and asked the union to help it find people whose need was overwhelming but did not have a collective voice.

The last legislature, the Government passed the Equal Pay Amendment Act that allows workers to file a claim for equal pay without going to court.

“There is no need to convince ourselves, there is no need to flee in progress, but we need to continue,” Ardern said.

Pacific women are the lowest paid employees in public service and in 2019 earned an average of $ 64,600, while Pākehā men earned an average of $ 91,400.

According to the February Justice Ministry’s pay gap action plan, the pay gap is 12.1%, up from 18.3% in 2015.

The average pay gap between the average salaries of men and women in the public service is 10.5%, up from 14% in 2015.

The Ministry of Justice is in the final stages of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the PSA that would see initial wage rates increase from $ 44,000 to $ 49,000.

It comes after thousands of ministry workers went on strike in 2018 because the wage offer did not do enough to close the pay gap.

Justice Ministry General Manager for Personnel and Performance Jo Hickling said in a statement to the NZ Herald that the prime minister “is right.”

“We know there is a gender pay gap in the ministry, and we are committed to addressing this through our Gender Pay Gap Action Plan.

“We are working constructively with the PSA and together we are on a journey to address this issue.”

Public Services Minister Chris Hipkins also addressed the PSA conference, held in Te Papa, and said that one of his key priorities in this period was to make the sector an exemplary employer.

That included paying public service contractors a living wage and welcoming claims for equal pay and fair pay.

“I’m not going to rest until the gender pay gap is completely closed,” Hipkins said.

PSA National Secretary Kerry Davies said they were very pleased to hear the Prime Minister reaffirm her commitment to equal pay for women, Pasifika workers and Maori.

“Our members are extremely passionate about this issue and took the opportunity to raise it directly with her.

“There is still a long way to go and underpaid and undervalued workers are tired of waiting.

“Ministry of Justice workers have been at the bottom of the heap for too long, as have Pasifika women in all public service.”

The Justice Ministry’s pay gap action plan said closing the gender pay gap was one of its strategic priorities and ensuring that women’s pay reflected their skills, efforts and responsibilities and was not negatively affected by their gender. it was a fundamental human right.

What Causes the Gender Pay Gap?

The Justice Ministry says that several factors can contribute to the gap, including:
• More men in higher paid roles and / or more women in lower paid roles in an organization
• Underestimating work performed predominantly or exclusively by women
• Men progress faster than women
• Men who receive (on average) a higher starting salary, discretionary salary, salary increases, or performance ratings
• Disproportionately slower career or salary progress for employees who take care breaks, or who work part-time or flexibly.