McKean said this was part of a co-ordinated campaign led by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.<\/p>\n
He said the Maritime Union of NZ and other Unions Bay of Plenty members were \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d with the economic pathway the coalition Government was taking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe changes to the Pay Equity Act are a terrible indictment of where this Government places the value of women\u2019s work in society.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pay Equity Amendment Bill passed all stages in Parliament in May, after being rushed through under urgency.<\/p>\n
Maritime Union of NZ local organiser Graham McKean. Photo\/ NZME<\/p>\n
The controversial legislation raised the threshold for proving work had been historically undervalued when making a pay equity claim.<\/p>\n
Opponents said it would make it harder for women in female-dominated industries to make a claim.<\/p>\n
All opposition parties opposed it.<\/p>\n
Thirty-three claims, representing thousands of workers, were dropped.<\/p>\n
\u014ct\u016bmoetai resident Christine Murphy, and Margaret Down and her daughter Louise Down, both from Pyes Pa, were among today\u2019s protesters.<\/p>\n
Murphy said she \u201cfully supported\u201d the Unions Bay of Plenty\u2019s fight for equality for women \u2013 not just over equal pay but in every aspect of their lives \u2013 especially those in lower-paid jobs.<\/p>\n
Margaret Down said she was a member of the NZ Working Women\u2019s Council in the 1970s and was a former primary school teacher who had fought for pay equity for women many times over the years.<\/p>\n
She said the Bay of Plenty Times \u201ccould not print\u201d what she really thought about the pay equity law changes. <\/p>\n
\u201cWomen have been fighting for pay equity for decades, and these changes are disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Omanu resident Heidi Tidmarsh said she felt \u201coutraged\u201d about the gap in women\u2019s pay compared to men.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can run a home, juggle caring for kids, work, and women are very effective, skilled workers, and we shouldn\u2019t be underpaid and undervalued.\u201d <\/p>\n
Unions Bay of Plenty co-convenor Jason Smythe said: \u201cWe must vote to ensure that our next Government is committed to reinstating and funding pay equity for all workers. This general election, people have the ability and power to vote for pay equity.\u201d<\/p>\n
NZ Council of Trade Unions\u2019 secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges said it was calling on political parties to make the recommendations in the report a \u201cbottom-line\u201d heading into the general election.<\/p>\n
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. Photo \/ Mark Mitchell<\/p>\n