Women’s Day of Action in Gisborne targets Luxon’s pay equity overhaul

Speakers at Saturday's Women's Day of Action directed at the Government's overhauling of pay equity included (rear, from left) historian Jean Johnstone, E tū delegate Monique Behan-Kitto, PSA national organiser Margaret Takoko, Gisborne-based Labour list MP Jo Luxton, Labour Party president Jill Day, Pay Equity Coalition Aotearoa representative Sheryl Markie; (front, from left), former health and disability advocate Nona Aston and Workers First organiser Colleen Ryan.

The message of equality promoted by the likes of Gisborne suffragist Margaret Sievwright remains important to this day.

“The struggle is still going on.”

That was the view of Gisborne historian Jean Johnson as she spoke at Saturday’s Women’s Day of Action, which focused primarily on the Government’s overhaul of the Pay Equity Act, including the cancellation of existing claims.

About 60 supporters marched from the town clock to the Margaret Home Sievwright Memorial monument in Fitzherbert St on Saturday morning.

The Women’s Day of Action was held 132 years and one day after the passing of the act that made New Zealand the first country to have universal suffrage.

“I’m here to support the women of today,” Johnson said.

“We appreciate the women of the past, including Margaret Sievwright, and also the women who gathered here [at the opening of her memorial in 1907] in her memory, and knew that she was talking a lot of wisdom, and had had a lot of humanity,” Johnson said.

“Their message of equality remains important today.

“As a teacher of women’s studies, we were talking about pay equity 40 years.

“But we are in this position today.”

Gisborne-based Labour list MP Jo Luxton said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had “cut women’s pay with a flick of a pen without consultation”.

“He’s taken us back decades.

“He doesn’t have to sit at the table tonight worrying how he’s going to pay the bills tomorrow.

“It is unfair and unjust.”

Luxton said pay equity would be an election issue next year.

Labour was committed to reinstating pay equity, she said.

Retired health and disability advocate and former Deputy Mayor Nona Aston said it was important for women to love one another, support each other, give each other strength, to stand up for each other and to be loyal.

“It was a woman who gave birth to the greatest love this earth has ever known – Jesus Christ.

“A woman gave birth to that love, so women give birth to love – use that love, use that strength.”

Gisborne-based PSA national organiser Margaret Takoko said she was happy with the turnout.

“We had some real inspirational speakers.”

The event showed the level of angst over the Government’s move on pay equity, she said.

Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden, speaking when the law was changed, said that under the previous rules, claims were “able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation” or without proving the difference in pay was “due to sex-based discrimination or other factors”.

Van Velden said the changes would not only make the pay equity scheme “workable and sustainable” but would also “significantly reduce costs to the Crown” by about $2.7 billion a year.

Luxon denied the new pay equity new regime was effectively “cutting pay for women”.