ANZASW strongly condemns the government announcement yesterday that changes to the Equal Pay Act will result in the immediate cessation of all current pay equity claims.

Passing this legislation under urgency is a deliberate strategy to sideline participatory democracy and silence women. We are outraged that urgency continues to be used without just cause, further dismantling public trust in government decision-making and eroding social cohesion across Aotearoa New Zealand.

As a profession that has directly benefited from pay equity, we know how important current legislation is for professions who are undervalued, unseen and unheard, yet making significant contributions to community wellbeing.

These workforces are disproportionately female, Nathan Chong-Nee, Chief Executive of ANZASW notes, “This move guts the very mechanisms designed to correct structural inequity. It signals that equity for women is expendable when fiscal pressure mounts.” He goes on to stress, “this is gendered austerity dressed up as fiscal responsibility. Pay claims which would significantly improve equity for women are being tossed aside to make room for tax cuts that benefit higher earners.”

Our hearts are with our friends in the wider social services workforce who are directly impacted by this announcement. Their current claim will not progress. This is unjust and unfair, and as a profession, we will fight for our social services colleagues, whose work is invaluable across our sector.

Social workers have already achieved pay equity, strongly supported by our own government regulator, the SWRB, who proudly stated, “the benefits of pay equity are beginning to be seen with social workers reporting high, more equitable salaries.” However, yesterday’s change removes the current review process and places a 10-year stand-down on further claims. Therefore, social workers will again fall significantly behind our comparators, replicating the conditions which led to our initial claim.

Minister van Velden yesterday questioned the validity of social workers being compared to air traffic controllers in the original pay equity claim. Structural engineers, police constables and detectives were also used as male-comparator professions. These roles involve specific knowledge and skills gained through specialist qualifications that prepare them for highly volatile working environments where managing risk and problem-solving under pressure is a daily responsibility, just like social work. In dismissing air traffic controllers as a comparator for social work, the Minister reveals both her lack of knowledge around comparator professions as set out within the Equal Pay Act and her lack of respect for the knowledge and skill proficiency associated with social work. Such comments are insulting and further evidence of a duplicitous government that applauds us in times of crisis but dismisses us and denies us fair treatment a moment later.

ANZASW President Sharyn Roberts asserts, “This isn’t just about pay. For social workers, pay equity is about professional integrity. It’s about being recognised and respected for the critical, skilled, and often emotionally demanding mahi we do every day in our communities. Yes, there is a gendered aspect to the work, but our claim was never solely about that, it was about recognising the professional value we bring and the outcomes we deliver for whānau across Aotearoa.”

We now stand in support of other professions who have yet to achieve this recognition and call upon all social workers to actively oppose these changes in the name of kotahitanga, manaakitanga and social justice.

Now is the time to show mātātoa and rangatiratanga. Join together in protest, whether this is attending rallies and marches, writing letters to your local MP or educating your family and friends to elicit wider support for pay equity.

This announcement is a political choice by a coalition Government that values short-term financial savings over long-fought-for social justice. We cannot stand for it.

 

 

Nathan Chong-Nee, CE of ANZASW is available for media comment or interviews on request. He can be contacted at: nathan@anzasw.nz