The Green Party is proposing a package ensuring essential workers are paid a “dignified wage” to ensure they do not live in poverty.
“Throughout the Covid crisis, we have all relied on the essential workers on the frontline,” Green co-leader Marama Davidson said today in a statement.
“The people who stack shelves, care for our most vulnerable in rest homes, and transport goods around the country, risking their own health in doing so.”
Ms Davidson said the “heroes” went to work while the rest of the country was told to stay home and deserve to “earn enough to live on”.
“Low-wage essential workers are getting New Zealand through this crisis and continue to do so. They went to work when the rest of us were told to stay away – and people would be horrified to hear many of them barely earn enough to live on.
“People like those working in supermarkets, rest homes, and driving public transport have made their worth clear. They deserve a wage where they can live with dignity. That’s why the Green Party is proposing changes to ensure these heroes are paid fairly.”
Green Party Workplace Relations spokesperson Jan Logie called on the Government to bring in legislation enabling Fair Pay Agreements for people doing essential work, including those in retail, cleaning, security and transport in the private sector.
“These agreements set minimum employment standards, which are agreed through bargaining between employers and unions,” Ms Logie said in the same statement. “Those agreements then become legally-required minimum standards for people working throughout the whole sector."
The Fair Pay Agreements will be a set of sector-specific minimum employment standards covering wages and working conditions. The agreements will help set a fair framework for negotiations between employers and unions which, once agreed upon, become legal requirements for all people working in that sector.
The Greens also proposed making provisions to increase pay for the lowest-paid public sector workers, including those with jobs funded by the public sector, to ensure everyone is on a living wage.
“The Government should ensure all people working in the broader public sector are paid a decent wage, including contractors, people working for crown entities, and people working for Government-funded community organisations.”
Core public service employees have earned a living wage since 2018, the Greens said. It does not extend to people employed by crown entities or people whose work is contracted or otherwise funded by the Government, but who are employed by private companies or community organisations, however.
The party is also calling for the immediate establishment of a hospitality sector working group to get employers, unions and the Government “around the planning table to get the industry on a more sustainable footing going forward,” Ms Logie said.
“The Government has the legislative tools to bring all essential workers up to the living wage. These unsung heroes have made their worth abundantly clear. It’s time to pay them fairly.”
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