Honour battler for win on pay

Rest home worker Kristine Bartlett is happy with the Government's $2 billion pay equity package announcement in Wellington. Photo/file

My pick for New Zealander of the Year is Kristine Bartlett.

Throw in a damehood and a couple of SOE directorships as well - heck, even the private sector could well use her gumption.

This battler has proved people can still stand up for their rights.

The Lower Hutt rest-home worker fronted an historic equal pay case which was won in the Supreme Court and implemented by the Government last week.

She campaigned tirelessly along with union E tu to get better pay for care and support workers.

She argued care work was underpaid because workers were predominantly female. And her fight has resulted in a $2 billion pay rise to about 55,000 workers from July 1.

Workers will receive a minimum pay rise of between $4 and $7 an hour. The case ran alongside the Government's working group set up to address the pay gap between men and women.

While there has been some disagreement on which male and female-dominated jobs to compare when seeking pay equity, the Government has agreed to all 21 recommendations from the working party.

The care workers' case ably demonstrates the exploitation of women in the workforce.
As a job it requires empathy, training, knowledge and fitness. It is demanding, yet it remained underpaid.

Five years ago Equal Opportunities Commissioner Judy McGregor went undercover to write a report about work in rest homes and described it as "modern slavery".

Equal pay for the same job is a relatively simple argument.

Comparing similar types of work is another matter, that is why Kristine Bartlett's win is so important.