Job-equality laws urged by Dr Sutch

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32588, 23 April 1971, Page 5

Job-equality laws urged by Dr Sutch

f.Vew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 22.

Legislation should be passed making all occupations open to people of both sexes, whether married or unmarried, Dr W. B. Sutch advocated before the Commission of Inquiry on Equal Pay yesterday. Dr Sutch is an economic consultant and a former Secretary of Industries and Commerce.

Such legislation should I apply to all State services, statutory and local authorities, all awards of the Arbitration Court, agreements outside the jurisdiction of; the court, parts of the Agricultural Workers’ Act and to all professional groups, he said. All references to male orfemale jobs should be eliminated from all awards, conciliation proceedings, col-i

Elective agreements and job j advertising. “Thus the words apprentice, trainee, and cadet would have no sex connotation,” Dr I Sutch said. There would be no discrimination in recruitment, selection for training, promotion, transfer, shift working, upgrading, demotion, “lay I off," superannuation or terjmination, he said. 1 Prosecutions would be

initiated for non-compliance with the law. “MATERNITY LEAVE”

Maternity leave on full pay would be made taking into account any Social Security benefits or tax exemptions. If there was no mothers’ benefit at about the level of the award wage, the mother would be paid by the employer for two months before and after the birth of the child, providing she had worked with the employer for a year.

Dismissal for pregnancy would be illegal and seniority after absence for maternity would be protected for two years.

“Eventually there will be women flying commercial ; planes, crews of ships, runining heavy transport, doing ! mechanical and civil engineering, taking part as skilled (workers in building, and handling harbour cranes,” Dr Sutch said. Initially there would be few women for these jobs because they lacked training, skill, and in many cases, confidence, he said. IN STEPS It should be possible to achieve equal pay in the manufacturing and retail industries by steps in three years. “These groups took the impact of the pay-roll tax in a year,” Dr Such said.

The Government should ensure tariff and import licensing protection to manufacturers whose profits were seriously affected by equal pay, he said.