Union members outside the High Court at Wellington. Photo: NICK JAMES / RNZ
Union workers feel "betrayed" by the government and said they were ready to fight the equity law changes.
Around 70 people gathered outside the High Court at Wellington on Friday morning ahead of five unions filing a legal challenge to the coalition's pay equity law changes.
In May, laws were passed under urgency which cancelled 33 pay equity claims and made it harder for new claims to succeed.
The sudden and controversial changes cancelled existing claims from mostly female-dominated jobs and made it harder for new claims to succeed.
Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden gave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped, as the legislation was put through under urgency in May.
The Nurses Organisation, Tertiary Education Union, NZEI Te Riu Roa, Post-Primary Teachers' Association, and Public Service Association argued the new rules breached the Bill of Rights Act.
That has triggered them to launch a legal challenge to the laws in the High Court.
Victoria University library assistant Alex Cass said the law changes were "shameful".
"It is not okay and they [the government] should not be able to get away with it."
Cass said the pay equity law changes were done specifically to keep the process quiet so there would not be consultation.
"I feel incredibly lied to and incredibly betrayed."
Healthcare New Zealand support worker Camella Ross had travelled from Timaru to support Friday's action.
Healthcare New Zealand support worker Camella Ross travelled from Timaru to Wellington to show her support. Photo: NICK JAMES / RNZ
"The government took away our right to pay, it is not fair, and we are here to fight.
"We are here to say no; you can't do that."
Ross said she was "absolutely gutted" when she heard of the pay equity law changes.
"It was all done so secretly, like how can they do that? How can they do that to hard working people in New Zealand?"
PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said that if the High Court ruled in the unions' favour a declaration of inconsistency would be made.
"There's then a process of a select committee and the government needs to respond, it doesn't strike down the law, but it is an important tool of accountability."
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said that due to the legal action it was not appropriate for her to comment on the unions' claim at this time.
Earlier in the year, van Velden said the changes would likely be contentious, but were necessary to meet the government's policy objectives of keeping a pay equity system, while changing the framework for assessing whether there is sex-based undervaluation.
She said under the previous rules, claims were "able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation", or without proving the difference in pay was "due to sex-based discrimination or other factors"
She said the changes would not only make the pay equity scheme "workable and sustainable", but "significantly reduce costs to the Crown".
"There are often significant costs involved with pay equity settlements which can involve large workforces… and we need to ensure the process to raise and resolve claims is robust."
Finance Minister Nicola Willis revealed in the Budget the pay equity changes had saved $12.8 billion over the forecast period.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
