Greens say coalition ‘butchered’ pay equity, promise to rapidly resolve care and support claim

The Green Party is promising to reinstate the pay equity regime to the form it was before the coalition’s reforms this year reduced its scope and banked nearly $13 billion in savings.

Announcing the policy this morning the Greens accused the coalition of “butchering” the pay equity regime. They also promised dedicated funding for roughly 65,000 care and support workers whose claim was stopped by the changes.

The Greens promised funding worth about $1.1b a year for that settlement or about $4.5b over the four-year forecast period. The Greens said they would legislate a settlement into being if required.

Green co-leader Marama Davidson said: “Care and support workers look after disabled people, older people and some of the most vulnerable people in New Zealand every day, yet their work has been undervalued for too long”.

“In government, the Greens will restore pay equity law and fund the settlement these workers need and deserve.

“Most of these workers are women on low pay. They help people shower, dress, eat and take their medication in rest homes, in hospitals and in people’s own homes.

“When a whānau relies on a carer so their nana can keep living at home, that carer’s pay should reflect the skill and responsibility the job asks of them.

“These workers had already proven their work was undervalued when the Government changed the rules and told them to start again”.

The Greens said funding for the settlement would be determined through bargaining and normal Cabinet funding processes.