Election asks: Pay equity

We asked political parties about settling pay equity claims and doing more to close pay gaps.

These are the questions we sent. When we get the responses from the parties, we'll add them to this page

Will you…

Commit to settling pay equity claims that are currently under way?

Ensure sufficient funding to public sector and funded employers to meet pay equity claims?

Introduce legislation that provides for both gender and ethnic pay gap transparency?

Improve the Equal Pay Act so that it covers discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, disability, sexuality and gender identity?

Abolish the Minimum Wage Exemption Scheme?

The results are in

Here's what the parties had to say

Question	Greens	Labour	National
Commit to settling pay equity claims that are currently under way?	Yes	Yes Labour is the first party to take pay equity seriously and we changed the law to actually allow for pay equity claims to be heard. We have settled a number of pay equity claims in the public sector and are committed to ending sex based discrimination in it	No National supports the pay equity process but as these are ongoing negotiations, it would be irresponsible to pre-commit to an outcome.
Ensure sufficient funding to public sector and funded employers to meet pay equity claims?	Yes	Yes. Alongside our well-understood obligations when the Crown in the employer, we have established a framework for the oversight and support for pay equity claims in the Funded sector (Funded Framework). The Funded Framework supports employers and claimants in the Funded sector to get advice and support in working their way through a pay equity claim while preserving the rights and responsibilities of their employer/employee relationship. We also recognise that pay equity claims are raising a series of important questions about the delivery and funding of public services which are contracted out.	National will progress pay equity claims and of course provide funding for any that are settled.
Introduce legislation that provides for both gender and ethnic pay gap transparency?	Yes	Labour will require around 900 entities with over 250 employees to publicly report their gender pay gap, and later those with over 100 workers. Labour is also committed to exploring the inclusion of ethnicity in pay gap reporting, and this work will be undertaken in our next phase of consultation.	National supports the recently announced gender pay gap changes. We do not believe ethnic pay gap reporting should be mandatory.
Improve the Equal Pay Act so that it covers discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, disability, sexuality and gender identity?	Yes	Have not announced policy yet	National supported the Equal Pay Amendment Act that improved processes for pay equity claims to be raised, progressed and resolved. We believe the current legislation and existing provisions within the Human Rights Act sufficiently address such instances of discrimination.
Abolish the Minimum Wage Exemption Scheme?	Yes	Yes by mid 2015	No