Unofficial People's Select Committee starts pay equity hearings

The great grandson of New Zealand's first female MP Elizabeth McCombs says she would be ashamed to see the changes to pay equity legislation.

Tony McCombs was one of dozens of submitters who presented at the unofficial People's Select Committee in Wellington today.

The committee of former female MPs was formed after the government passed the changes under urgency in May, halting 33 claims from female-dominated workforces which sought to prove they were underpaid in comparison to similar male-dominated industries.

The changes were passed under urgency.

Tony McCombs told the committee that Elizabeth McCombs, who entered parliament in 1933, was dedicated to ensuring women could receive equal pay for equal work.

"If she were here today she would be appalled," he said.

"My own daughter, also proudly named Elizabeth McCombs, is an early childhood teacher. I want her and my grand-daughters to live in a New Zealand where they are treated fairly, and equally, not forced to fight the same battles over and over again."

Tony McCombs said the pay equity changes were not about fairness, or sustainability, accusing the government of trying to save money at the expense underpaid women.

He described the changes as sexist and cowardly.

"If Elizabeth McCombs were here, she would rise with righteous rage and ask: how dare you, how dare you erase progress with the stoke of a pen, how dare you undo a century of struggle in a single vote, how dare you silence the voices of working women, and call it reform."

Former National MP Dame Marilyn Waring has spearheaded the creation of the People's Select Committee, an unofficial committee that has the aim to provide evidence that was not obtained by the government during the passing of its laws.

Former politicians that were involved with the committee were Jackie Blue, Jo Hayes and Belinda Vernon from National, Nanaia Mahuta, Lianne Dalziel, Steve Chadwick and Lynne Pillay from Labour, Ria Bond from New Zealand First and Sue Bradford from the Greens.

The first hearing for the group was held on Monday morning in the National Library in Wellington.

Dame Marilyn told Nine to Noon the debate that was held under urgency was not enough.

"There was simply no substance to it, I thought that there was so much also misunderstanding in the community."

She said that if the group could collect all the data and evidence on the matter people could make up their minds on the changes.

There needed to be an assessment of how peoples' rights may have been removed, Dame Marilyn said.

"One of the obvious ones where the particular employment now has to be 70 percent women means that teaching for example may fall out of being able to make any pay equity claim."

She said that 12 hearings would be done, with a report on those expected to be published in January.

'Significant' time and money put into claims - Aged Care Association

Tracey Martin, chief executive of the Aged Care Association, told the committee three of the 33 cancelled pay equity claims significantly affected care and support workers.

She said the care and support sector spent about $500,000 gathering information for its claim in the past year, while, behind the scenes, the government was working on stopping it.

"Employer parties and peak bodies spent tens of thousands of dollars each, complying with Te Whatu Ora's requirements, that in hindsight, appeared to be a deliberate delaying tactic," Martin said.

"Working groups were kept in a holding pattern with repeated excuses, further straining already under-funded providers."

Martin said her members now felt betrayed.

"This breach of good faith will take some time, and genuine effort on behalf of government to repair."

Jo Brunskill, of the PPTA agreed, saying the union had completed 300 interviews with claimants, and 40 interviews with external comparators to further its claim.

A "comparator" occupation being one, which requires a similar level of skills, responsibility, experience and degree of effort required.

Human Rights Commission equal employment opportunities commissioner Gail Pacheco said equal pay was a fundamental human right.

She said that was enshrined under international treaties - such as The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women or CEDAW - which New Zealand had ratified.

"For some of these changes they may remove access to the remedy entirely. For example the Ministry of Education reports 64 percent of secondary teachers are women. Under this new threshold, their claim will not proceed," Pacheco said.

Dame Marilyn said the committee is holding 12 hearings around the country.

She said while the people's select committee can't change the law, the process is vital, given the legislation did not pass through any formal select committee hearing.

"1600 submissions from people who want to tell us their experiences, it means I think the country is going to learn a great deal more texture about pay equity," Dame Marilyn said.

She said she hopes the voices and evidence presented at the committee will be heard in the halls of power.

The Government responds

Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden said in a statement that people can take part in the People's Select Committee, but it is not a formal parliamentary process, and won't be treated as such,

She said the pay equity changes were made to ensure genuine instances of pay inequity are identified and resolved.

"As a Government, we want to be sure that the pay equity process is robust, workable and sustainable and getting the settings right for claims that demonstrate genuine sex-based discrimination," van Velden said.

"Equal Pay is here to stay. Pay Equity remains open as a process and the law is more robust."

Van Velden said the Government did not intend to change the law around pay equity.

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