Many participants identified fair pay as an important element of equality at work.
Participants whose income was at or close to minimum wage levels talked about the difficulties they experienced making ends meet. One Rotorua man told us that the rising cost of electricity did not just have an impact on the cost of keeping warm but also on the cost of cooking. He told us that “fish and chips are cheaper” once the cost of shopping and cooking are factored in.
Being cold, combined with an inadequate diet and substandard accommodation contributed to poor health outcomes. Other participants said that staff on low wages seek longer work hours to gain an adequate income. Phyllis Puia, a cleaner, who was interviewed for the introductory video said, “I have seen some older people work two to three jobs to make ends meet. This has to stop.”
Another participant said, “fair pay is a big issue for places like old people’s homes. Care staff get dreadful wages for the work they do.” Managers across industries as diverse as the aged care sector and horticulture told us that they had to monitor the hours staff were working, including for other employers, to ensure safe working practices.
Other people working in jobs paid at, or just above, the minimum wage felt the cost of tertiary study put their aspiration for career advancement out of reach. One father raising his child on a domestic purposes benefit had abandoned his nursing studies, because changes to the training incentive allowance policy meant he could no longer afford to study.
