Nia Bartley, a Pacific woman of colour from Wellington, said she had to make extra effort and jump through hoops to get fair pay in the workplace.
“There is a group of people in society that miss out because of what they look or sound like and that is so wrong,” Bartley said. “Pay Transparency will correct this wrong.”
The Human Rights Commission said several women have come forward with appalling experiences of discrimination over pay and progression opportunities in workplaces across the country.
Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo, Equal Employment Opportunities commissioner, said New Zealand needs pay transparency because workers, especially Māori, Pacific and Asian women are being paid far less than men in the same or similar roles.
“So many brave women are now sharing their heart-breaking stories of how they continue to be undervalued and underpaid in the workplace,” Sumeo said. “Many are parents, carers or the main income earners for their households.”
“We need to stop talking about fairness and dignity and just get on with it.”
Pay transparency is knowing whether a worker is being paid fairly compared with people in the same or comparable roles. A transparent mechanism is an essential component of pay equity that will provide employees with pay information to make a pay equity claim against employers.
“Without pay transparency, it is sort of like fighting fog,” said Nancy McShane from Christchurch. “You are trying to validate to yourself and others that this problem exists.”
“If we have pay transparency in place, then it’s a much easier process. We need to work a lot harder on creating a fair and equitable society,” McShane added.
These women who are part of the Human Rights Commission’s Pay Transparency campaign want information on pay scales and career progression made readily available by employers.
The Commission has formed a coalition of 10 partners who are also calling on the government to urgently introduce pay transparency in the workplace to close the gender pay gap.
Partners include the Public Service Association, Council of Trade Unions, National Council of Women, YWCA, PACIFICA, Diversity Works, Rural Women New Zealand, Women in Urbanism, Coalition for Equal Value Equal Pay and the Women Empowerment Principles Committee.
Richard Wagstaff of the Council of Trade Unions said Collective Employment Agreements can provide excellent pay transparency.
“All working people need transparent systems of salary setting and clarity on how to progress,” Wagstaff said. “This ensures the removal of decisions made at the discretion of the employer.”
The EEO commissioner says making pay visible will identify unconscious bias and deep discrimination within the workplace and help New Zealand close the gender and ethnic pay gaps.
“The government and employers urgently need to act,” Sumeo said. “Pay transparency is essential to ensure our workforce, especially women are professionally respected and receive equal pay for equal value of work. This would be a significant step towards eliminating discrimination.”
