CTU Lawyers Discuss Employment Relations Bill.

Check out this video on the changes to the Employment Relations Act. Explained by Union Lawyers published by the CTU.

CARE WORK HAS VALUE : HONOR IT

Care work is not just a job.It is the beating heart of a compassionate society.It is the quiet, steady force that allows people to live with dignity, families to stay together, and communities to thrive.

The True Value of Care

Care work touches lives in ways that can never be fully measured in dollars and cents — but that does not mean it should be undervalued or underpaid.

For those receiving care — the elderly, the disabled, people with chronic illness or mental distress — it is the difference between isolation and connection, between surviving and truly living.

For families, care work is what allows them to know thier loved ones are safe, to balance work and family responsibilities, to know that someone skilled and compassionate is there to help.

For society, it is an investment in stability, health, and human dignity. Every hour a care worker spends supporting someone is an hour that strengthens the fabric of our communities.

Care Work Reflects Our Values as a Nation

New Zealand prides itself on being one of the best places in the world to live. We talk about fairness, kindness, and looking after one another. But those values mean nothing if they are not reflected in the way we treat our most vulnerable — and the people who care for them.

You can judge the integrity of a nation by the way it provides care for those who need it most. On that test, our care workers are doing their part brilliantly. The question is — is our government?

The Crisis of Undervaluation

Right now, thousands of care workers are paid wages that barely cover the basics of life. These are skilled professionals performing essential work, yet they are treated as though their contribution is optional or replaceable.

This is not just unfair — it is dangerous.Underpaying care workers drives people out of the sector, strips away experienced staff, and leaves those in need of care facing instability and loss.

Honouring Care Work Means Investing in It

If we truly value care, we must show it through action:

• Fair pay that reflects the skill, responsibility, and emotional labour involved.

• Secure funding for community and residential services so workers can focus on care, not on how to make ends meet.

• Recognition that care work is not a cost to be minimised but an investment in the health and strength of our nation.

  
  

A Nation’s Honour Is at Stake

Care work is a mirror — it reflects who we are. If we honour it, we build a New Zealand that lives up to its values. If we neglect it, we reveal a country willing to turn its back on its own people.

We say:Care work has value. Honour it.Because how we care for the most vulnerable is not just a policy decision — it’s a test of our national character.

GET INVOLVED IN THE CAMPAIGN :

Full Details At www.nupe.org.nz/FAIRPAY

Paid Equity Delayed Is Pay Equity Denied

For years, care and support workers across New Zealand have been told to wait.Wait for the Pay Equity process. Wait for the recognition they deserve. Wait for the day when their wages reflect the critical, skilled, and emotionally demanding work they do.

Now, with the stroke of a pen, the Government has turned its back on them.

The Backbone of Community and Residential Care

Across Canterbury and the rest of Aotearoa, thousands of care and support workers are the quiet force holding lives together.They support the those in need, in their homes, they care for people living with disabilities, they provide stability for those with complex mental health needs, and they walk alongside the most vulnerable New Zealanders every single day.

They are not “unskilled.”They are not “replaceable.”They are passionate, experienced, deeply committed professionals doing work that requires compassion, resilience, and skill — often in the face of grief, crisis, and trauma.

A Promise, Broken

The Pay Equity claim for care and support workers was never a handout. It was a commitment to fairness — a promise that the value of this work would finally be acknowledged in wages.

Instead, the Government has scrapped the process, changing the law under urgency, without consultation, and without regard for the thousands who have been waiting patiently for justice.

This is more than a political decision.It is a betrayal of the people who have dedicated their lives to care.

The Human Impact

When pay equity is denied, it’s not just workers who suffer — it’s the people they care for.Underfunded wages mean constant turnover, as skilled staff are forced to leave for jobs that pay enough to live on. Continuity of care breaks down, relationships are disrupted, and the most vulnerable lose the stability they depend on.

Across Canterbury and New Zealand, community and residential care services are stretched to breaking point.Every time a worker leaves, the system loses experience, trust, and capacity.

A Responsibility New Zealand Cannot Ignore

Decades ago, New Zealand moved away from large institutions and committed to delivering care in the community. This was a progressive, humane decision — but it came with an ongoing responsibility: to fund and resource community care properly.

Instead, the Government has outsourced this essential work to NGOs, then underfunded them year after year, expecting charity budgets to deliver life-changing services. That’s not just unsustainable — it’s unsafe.

The Industry Must Be Resourced

Community and residential care is not an optional extra. It is critical infrastructure for a fair and compassionate society.

If we want safe, high-quality care for our elderly, disabled, and vulnerable citizens, then we must:

• Resource the industry properly so organisations can recruit and retain skilled staff.

• Pay care and support workers fairly for the complex, demanding work they do.

• Acknowledge the value they bring to individuals, whānau, and communities across New Zealand.

  
  

Paid Equity Delayed Is Pay Equity Denied

Care and support workers have already waited too long.The Government’s decision sends a clear message — that their work can be undervalued, their dedication overlooked, and their voices ignored.

We reject that message.We demand better.Because when you fail to value the people who care for our most vulnerable, you fail as a nation.

GET INVOLVED IN THE CAMPAIGN :

Full Details At www.nupe.org.nz/FAIRPAY