Firm commitment to equal pay needed
I was delighted to read of Rangitata MP Jo Goodhew’s visit to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, in New York, and her commitment to bring home ‘‘new and different’’ ideas to advance gender equity in New Zealand.
As president of the Public Service Association Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi, I believe the two tools she brought back from Iceland will be extremely useful to our members, particularly the one which will help businesses evaluate whether or not they have a gender pay gap.
However, this taxpayer-funded trip will be of no benefit to women in New Zealand unless the National government – of which Mrs Goodhew is of course a part – makes a firm commitment to putting into practice the lessons she has learned.
Despite the Minister for Women, Paula Bennett, saying equal pay is a ‘‘priority’’ for National, to date not one of our members has seen a single dollar more in their paypackets as a result.
National has yet to release the promised legislation implementing the recommendations of the Joint Working Group on Equal Pay having consistency must be good. It’s not, if it is bad/wrong. When a woman celebrating her 100th birthday is not given the simple courtesy of being called Mrs, for me it’s bad manners.
When the reported victim of a tragic death doesn’t warrant being called Mr, I see this as completely insensitive to the man’s relatives, who may read it.
The appropriate use of a title shows respect for the people being quoted or written about.
What possible real benefit is there to the Herald in having such a policy?
Maybe it’s nice to be consistent, but being consistent isn’t always nice (to read).
I’m quite sure that many readers, and those being written about, don’t like the current inflexible practice. Ask them! Principles.
We also urge the Government to consider greater transparency around pay rates as a legislative priority.
The PSA has been campaigning for equal pay for more than a century, and yet the gender pay gap
The good news is that it is an easy fix; simply reverse the policy to that of appropriately using titles throughout our local community newspaper; at least for the locally written articles. There’ll be no complaints. Brendan Murphy
Timaru Footnote: Thanks so much for your letter, Mr Murphy.
I have no doubt the point you make is one many Herald readers will agree with, despite the fact our current policy on the use of honorifics has been in place for several years now.
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple a fix as reverting to our previous policy, as you suggest, because the decision to drop them wasn’t made in this office, but at national level remains.
Women are tired of successive governments talking the talk – we now urge this Government to walk the walk. PSA President Timaru within Fairfax, our parent company.
We certainly sympathise with the sentiment you’ve expressed, and there have been times when we have taken the decision in individual cases to use an honorific, because we felt the specific situation merited it. That should possibly have happened in the two cases you highlighted in your letter.
The bottom line, though, is that it’s a company-wide policy not to use honorifics. – Grant Shimmin, News Director.