Tauranga people furious about the Government’s sudden changes to the Equal Pay Act held a rainy protest in Red Square on Friday.

It was one of a series of Labour- and union-led protests nationwide against the changes, which were announced on Tuesday and passed under urgency in Parliament on Wednesday.

The reforms retrospectively overhaul a 2020 law establishing a regime to allow people in sectors with a large female workforce to argue they were underpaid relative to similar work done in male-dominated sectors.

All 33 current claims, representing thousands of workers, will cease. Claimants will need to reapply under the new regime, which will have a higher threshold for success.

It will save the Government billions of dollars in wages, with the savings going into the Budget, to be published on May 22.

Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden said the urgency was to allow all claims to be considered under the same thresholds.

In Red Square, Tauranga care and support worker and E Tū union member Tanya Oomen said, “We’ve had enough.”

Labour Party list member Jan Tinetti led the protest in Tauranga. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

She said the Government was “cutting women’s pay without any warning, without consultation”.

“National has forced through a law change that will take money directly out of women’s pockets across New Zealand.”

She said National was doing it to “make their Budget add up” and was turning its back on the thousands of women who fought for equal pay, “all to fund tax breaks for tobacco companies and landlords”.

Local care and support worker of the E Tū union, Tanya Oomen (left), with Labour list MP Jan Tinetti, at Tauranga's protest against the Equal Pay Act changes. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

Oomen described herself as a care and support worker in the disability sector, working in a house with six adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.

She said she did 24-hour shifts, only half of those hours double-staffed.

She was expected to sleep on-site, care for her charges, cook, clean, take them to activities and appointments, keep them connected to family and friends, and check their finances.

“I’m more than an arse-wiper. Much more.

“We have been fighting so hard and for so long, and all we want is a decent wage for the hard work that we do.”

The 33 current pay equity claims will be stopped and will have to be restarted under the new changes. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) member Conor Fraser said it was “gutting to see how quickly changes can be made to an Equal Pay Act that has been fought for for decades”.

Fraser said he was part of a pay equity settlement last March.

NZEI member Conor Fraser speaking at the Tauranga protest against the changes made to the Equal Pay Act. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

“I’ve been part of a team that went through the process of understanding what the legislation is and how you enforce it and how you correct inequities that have existed for a long period of time.

“For others to not have that opportunity, it’s wild.”

Mount Maunganui Labour Party member Heidi Tidmarsh organised the protest, led by Labour Party list MP Jan Tinetti.

Mount Maunganui Labour Party member Heidi Tidmarsh. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

NZEI staff member Kirsty McCully said the change had added barriers to women being able to achieve pay justice.

“It takes us back to before 1972 when the Equal Pay Act was first brought into force.

“I think what it really does is negates a whole lot of amazing work [by] campaigners like Kristine Bartlett.

Participants at Tauranga's "Stand Up Fight Back" protest for pay equity after the coalition Government's announcement of the changes to the Equal Pay legislation on May 6. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

McCully works with early childhood teachers and as a result of this change, 93,000 teachers have had their pay equity claim set back.

“It’s devastating, and it really is a kick in the guts.

“It makes the idea that we can achieve wage justice almost impossible.”

McCully said many women were already struggling in the cost-of-living crisis and trying to hold their families together.

She said the Government was saying $3 billion a year for landlords was affordable but $1.7b in wage justice for women is not.

“The Government’s making decisions that impact on a small number of the wealthy to privilege their interests over the interests of the vast workers who have had wage injustice for generations, and now that’s going to be entrenched.”

Men and women of Tauranga gathered today to protest against the changes made to the Equal Pay Act by the Coalition Government. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

On a visit to Tauranga today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his Government is “very, very committed to pay equity, and avoiding and eliminating sex-based discrimination”.

“But we also need to make sure we have one system that is robust, that’s workable, that’s sustainable and actually focused on the core purpose of the legislation, that is about eliminating sex-based discrimination, rather than bringing in broader labour market conditions you often see in a bargaining round.”

Luxon said individuals and unions could still apply to have pay equity claims processed and the Government had put money aside to deal with these in future.

He said the changes aimed to encourage more specific pay-equity claims.

“We’ve seen claims that have up to 90 different occupations, when we see comparisons between fisheries officers and librarians.

“What we need to have is a hierarchy of comparators to make sure the system is more workable and gives people more certainty.”

He described the Opposition framing of the review as “a little bit disingenuous” and said saving money was not the primary reason for the change.