Equal Pay - a measurement challenge
So, the College of Midwives has started legal action and the NZ Education Institute has said it will do likewise on behalf of education support workers. It may be that both groups have valid claims of being underpaid - but we are about to see just how the Court decides it can measure just how to compare pay across industry groups (if indeed it thinks it can).
I fear this is a step too far for the judiciary and I predict we shall see experts on both sides using valid statistics to prove points. Quite simply I see a business as the product of a huge range of market forces and ultimately irrespective of the skills and knowledge needed for a job, a business (and industry) can only pay what it can afford to deliver products and services that their customers will pay for. Any attempt by an outside force to enforce changes to this model can only result in businesses and industries going under - you cannot affect free trade that way. Unless, of course, they place maximum pay rates on those industries that can afford to pay more (Tall Poppy syndrome gone moggy) ... hmm the mind boggles!
Watch this space.