Union pay claim bill rejected

Press, 15 May 1987, Page 24

Union pay claim bill rejected

PA Wellington The Employers’ Federation has rejected a Clerical Union claim that women do not have equal pay. Employers were presented with a bill for $825,000 an hour the unions claim they owe women workers. Union statistics show that women earn on average $lOO a week less than men. But the Employers’ Federation said equal pay had been a reality in the private sector for more than 10 years. Since the Equal Pay Act became law in 1972 it had been illegal to pay men and women different rates for performing the same or similar work. The Employers’ Federation legal adviser, Ms

Barbara Burton, said quoting national statistics of average weekly earnings was not an accurate way of judging what women were paid. Differences in national average earnings were accounted for by the distribution of women and men in occupations and industries, the level of skill and length of service. The federation actively supported equal opportunities for women, she said. The Clerical Union argued that the majority of women were employed in jobs regarded as female occupations, which attracted lower pay rates. The union presented a petition to Parliament on Tuesday urging a law change to achieve equal pay for jobs of equal value.