In 1982, a Photo-engraving and Graphic Process Union remit proposing that men and women doing the same job be paid the same wages was written into our award, with the agreement of employers during negotiations.
This worked fine until 1991, when the National government brought in the Employment Contracts Act and abolished all national awards.
We photolithographers were then presented basically with “take it or leave it” individual contracts, written by the bosses and heavily weighted in their favour, and told to “sign this as is, or look for another job”. In some cases, morning and afternoon tea breaks and time and a half/double time for overtime after 40 hours’ work were lost.
Given that we haven’t really recovered from that vicious attack on our rights as workers and are still a low-wage country, I’m not surprised there is a yawning pay gap between men and women, and Pākehā and Māori and Pasifika workers.
As for the female worker in the article (“Fair dues, October 8) paid $65,000 a year less than her male colleague for doing the same job (and having to redo some of his work), then being told “Now’s not the right time” when she asked to be paid the same, bosses have been using that lame excuse since the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1760.
Unless we pass fair-pay legislation to improve conditions and right past wrongs, nothing will change.
