Equal-Pay Petition To Go To Council

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31775, 4 September 1968, Page 1

Equal-Pay Petition To Go To Council

A petition asking the Christchurch City Council to do business only with persons, firms and companies which adopt the principle of equal pay for equal work where it is applicable will be presented to the council this month.

The petition has been organised by the Canterbury Shop Assistant’s Union. Dis tribution of copies will begin today. The petition will ask the

council to urge Christchurch employers to give equal pay for equal work, and itself to apply the principle throughout its own administration and to advertise all vacancies in the “general” column of newspapers, instead of the “female” or “male” vacancy columns.

The secretary of the union (Mr B. Alderdice) yesterday said that the petition was supported by the Canterbury Trades Council of the Feder ation of Labour and constituent unions, Canterbury public servants, the Council for Equal Pay and Opportunity, the Y.W.C.A., the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Federation of University Women, the Canterbury Uni. versity Students’ Association, the Christchurch Committee for International Human Rights Year, and the Avon branch of the Toe H Women’s Association.

Mr Alderdice said that although the Government had adopted equal pay for equal work, private industry was moving away from it. When the principle had been applied in local government, private industry could be approached. The City Council, said Mr Alderdice, was one of the largest employers in Christchurch.