Petition For Equal Pay For Women

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32233, 27 February 1970, Page 14

Petition For Equal Pay For Women

A petition to Parliament urging the Government to remove discrimination against women in all avenues of employment would be organised nationally, the chairman of the Canterbury committee of the National Council for Equal Pay and Opportunity (Mrs M. Batchelor) said last evening.

The first step towards equal pay was the removal of the differential [in the Minimum Wage (Act and this was one of [the council’s most important actions for the [coming year, Mrs Batchelor said at a meeting of the committee.

“We are told that if we are to progress as a country we must enlarge our labour force and that full use must be made of our female labour [ in order to increase produc-, tion. An extension of the hours that women may work in factories is being discussed.; “It would seem then that the female work force is veryimportant to the economy of our country. The implementation of equal pay would be an incentive to put the work and the abilities of women to the best use. The improve-; ments in efficiency, the in-| creased productivity- and the more effective use of woman-i

(power would all be counterbalancing gains to offset the higher wage rates. “With our dependence on greater productivity, can we ;afford not to give equal treatment to women workers?”; asked Mrs Batchelor. “The family unit is basic’ to our society and the role of wife and mother is as important to our economy as industry is. Society recognises the importance of women in this| sphere and continues to expect from them a voluntary—[ yet forced—withdrawal from paid employment so that they 'may assume the complex tasks associated with being wife and mother.

■ “That they should be com- ! pensated for the time they ( spend at these important tasks . is obvious, but that this sec- - tion of the community should ’.be used as a reason for denying equal pay to those women : who are part of the paid labf our force of this country ■ would be wrong. ■; “Financial recognition for > that sector of the populace > that is responsible for keep- - ing the whole of industry run- ■ ning smoothly is surely more i effective and more just tban ' depressing the wages paid to . those women in the industrial ! sector of our community,” she i said.