cevep

CEVEP... coalition for equal value, equal pay

About CEVEP

Gender pay gap

Equal Pay Laws

History & Politics

What's Happening?

Papers, refs

About CEVEP, our skills and history, and how to contact us

The Coalition for Equal Value, Equal Pay (CEVEP) is a voluntary organization committed to reducing the gender pay gap in New Zealand through policy and initiatives to advance pay equity in general, and equal pay for work of equal value in particular.

We have been campaigning for effective pay equity policy and legislation since 1986. At that time, New Zealand had recently ratified ILO Convention 100 on Equal Remuneration for Men and Women for Work of Equal Value and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. These UN Conventions, adopted in 1951 and 1979 respectively, require ratifying governments to ensure equal pay for women doing the same work as men, and also equal remuneration of women and men for different work shown to be of equal value by objective appraisal.

For many years, the Coalition for Equal Value, Equal Pay was the umbrella group for women’s organisations and unions interested in furthering policy, legislation and negotiations to ensure pay equity for New Zealand women. That broad-based work is currently the role of Pay Equity Challenge Coalition, of which we are an active member. The Coalition for Equal Value, Equal Pay is now a more specialist group with expertise and experience that spans the breadth and history of this policy issue.

See CEVEP's policy positions on pay equity claims and legislation as at July 2016, August 2016 and March 2017.

Our skills and experience

Our current members include those with direct involvement in:

the policy inquiries and reviews of the 1970s;
as a Labour Department inspector in implementation cases;
the Clerical Unions’ 1986 case;
policy development and the preparation of claims for the 1990 Employment Equity Act (repealed);
the preparation of 2002 government policy papers on pay and employment equity;
research for the 2004 Taskforce on Pay and Employment Equity in the public service, health and education;
development of gender neutral job evaluation tools and their use in assessments for the Department of Labour’s Pay & Employment Equity Office;
hearings which led to government dropping a bill that would have replaced the Equal Pay Act with
an amendment to the Employment Relations Act;
reviews of research and policy developments and outcomes in comparable countries throughout this period.

Test case 2013

In April 2013, CEVEP was invited to be an 'intervening' party to a test case being taken under the Equal Pay act by resthome worker Kristine Bartlett and the Service & Food Workers Union. This means that lawyer Stephanie Dyhrberg was able to speak at the Employment Court hearing on our behalf in support of the plaintiffs' claim. The Human Rights Commission, NZ Council of Trade Unions, Pay Equity Challenge Coalition, Aged Care Association and Business NZ were also intervenors.

Cevep's history

CEVEP was formed in 1986, after a claim for equal pay for work of equal value for clerical workers was rejected by the Arbitration Court.

A seminar for Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value was held at the Centre for Continuing Education, Victoria University of Wellington in April 1986, and the beginnings of a national pay equity campaign evolved. A further meeting established the Coalition for Equal Value for Equal Pay (CEVEP).

CEVEP quickly recognised the need for grassroots support from the community as well as unionists, academics and policy analysists to persuade the government to look at making legislation that would be more effective to providing pay and employment equity for New Zealand women.

Producing newsletters, media releases and holding meetings with politicians, CEVEP developed strong relationships with women's organisations and unions, who in turn worked with their members to spread awareness of the pay equity cause. CEVEP was a key player in the run up to Labour's Equal Employment Act 1990 which provided mechanisms for equal value job assessments and EEO in private sector employment, but was quickly repealed by an incoming National government.

In the 2000s CEVEP was involved in policy consultations and some of its members undertook research for the 2004 Taskforce. In 2004 we also lobbied strongly against replacing the Equal Pay Act 1972 with a very poor designed Employment Relations Act amendment for a new individual complaints process covering equal pay for women and men in the same job only.

In 2013 many of CEVEP's old members, and some new ones, are part of a renewed campaign to promote equal pay and equal pay for work of equal value for New Zealand women.

In July 2015 longstanding CEVEP member Elizabeth Orr received an 'Inspiring Union Woman' award from the NZCTU...see more.