Dispelling misinformation and clarifying the Government’s intent behind amending
the Equal Pay Act.
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Dear John,


I wanted to take the opportunity to clarify the Government’s intent behind
amending the Equal Pay Act.


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NATIONAL IS COMMITTED TO PAY EQUITY


Firstly, despite the misinformation being spread by the Labour Party and the
Unions, the Government is committed to pay equity for women.


The Government remains committed to addressing gender discrimination in the
workplace. We believe that work of equal value should be paid equally and accept
that this has not always been the case. We are not walking back this commitment.


The changes we have made to the Equal Pay Act are not about denying gender-based
discrimination or rolling back equal pay or pay equity. Nothing about equal pay
requirements has changed. We have amended the process for raising and settling a
pay equity claim to ensure that we have a pragmatic and enduring system for
addressing gender-based discrimination. Importantly, there will still be a way
to raise and settle a pay equity claim.






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WHY WE'VE CHANGED THE ACT


We have amended the process for raising and settling a pay equity claim – which
is different to the concept of equal pay. Equal pay is not being changed in any
way.


The previous process was not working as intended. It doesn’t make sense to
compare admin staff with mechanical engineers. The updated process will be more
sustainable and enduring for everyone.


All we are doing is trying as much as possible to simplify a framework to work
out an inherently complex calculation.


National has a proud history of supporting pay equity. It was a National-led
government that made the original pay equity settlement with care and support
workers in 2017 for $2 billion. It was also a National government that
introduced the original framework for assessing pay equity in 2017. The changes
we have made bring us closer to the 2017 system.


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URGENCY


In terms of timing, urgency is sometimes required to deal with unintended
consequences or systems that are no longer functioning as they should and to
provide maximum clarity.


It’s important to have one clear, consistent system for managing pay equity
claims. Running two different systems at the same time – one under the old rules
and one under the new – would create confusion and potential legal uncertainty
and unfairness for both workers and employers.


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Here to help


As always, my team and I are here and available to help.


You can get in touch with us by emailing [email protected]
[email protected], phone 03 344 2800, or pop into the office in
Rolleston Square between Monday and Fridays, 10:00am - 4:00pm.


Kind regards,



Hon Nicola Grigg
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