A formal request has been made to the United Nations to investigate the government's changes to pay equity laws.
The Pay Equity Coalition Aotearoa has made an urgent appeal to the UN Commission on the Status of Women to examine what it calls the "historic and deliberate regression" of women's economic and political rights in New Zealand.
Back in May, the government rushed through changes to the Equal Pay Amendment Act under urgency - casting aside the opportunity for hearings at a select committee level and effectively canning 33 claims from female-dominated workforces seeking to prove they were underpaid in comparison to similar male-dominated ones.
A People's Select Committee led by ten cross-party former MPs started hearing submissions on the new law this week.
The appeal to the UN argues the law breaches the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - which ensures access to effective legal remedies.
The Coalition says it's informed the Prime Minister's office and other relevant parties of the appeal.
Dame Judy McGregor is from Pay Equity Coalition Aotearoa.
Across the country, New Zealanders protested the rushed changes to the Equal Pay Amendment Act. The changes tighten up parameters for claims, introduce more restrictions, and give employers more ways to ignore them. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
