SpeechSUPPORT WORKERS (PAY EQUITY) SETTLEMENTS AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment) on behalf of the Minister of Health: I move That the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Health Committee to consider this bill and for the committee to report back to the House by 15 October 2019.The bill makes an important amendment to the Care and Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlement Act 2017 by rightly including mental health and addiction support workers. It also corrects the formula within the existing Act and formalises the ongoing payment of care and support worker rates to vocational disability workers employed by Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development.The original Care and Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlement Act was an historic settlement for workers in aged care disability and home and community support sectors in 2017. That settlement arose from a claim lodged by Kristine Bartlett in the Employment Court seven years ago which was supported by the Service and Food Workers Union—now called E tū. Ms Bartlett argued that a care and support worker was paid less because the work is predominantly performed by women compared with what would be paid for a role performed predominantly by men with similar skills responsibilities conditions and degrees of effort.The outcome was a victory for the workers and for the unions that generously shared the benefits across the industry with those who are union members and those who are not. The hard-fought settlement fairly recognised the important and historically under-valued work that care and support workers performed. A similar settlement was agreed with Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development covering vocational disability workers.In 2017 the Labour Party supported the settlement and the passage of the Care and Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlement Act because it delivered increased wage rates to 55000 care and support workers and linked those rates to care and support workers' qualifications and skills. The 2017 settlement and legislation excluded mental health and addiction support workers. This time the Public Service Association (PSA) and E tū jointly led the charge and filed a claim with the Employment Relations Authority seeking to have mental health and addiction support workers paid the same rates as their care and support worker colleagues.Discussion dragged on and it was not until the election of this Government that real progress was made. Our Government believes mental health and addiction support workers deserve pay rates equal to their peers working in care and support roles. That's why in June 2018 Cabinet approved extending the 2017 Act to cover about 5000 mental health and addiction support workers. This decision clearly demonstrates the Government's firm commitment to pay equity and lifting wages for this very valuable workforce. Improving mental health and addiction outcomes for people living in Aotearoa New Zealand is a top priory for this Government. Paying a fair wage to those who support and help New Zealanders when they are most vulnerable is an important step along the way. We believe that all people deserve a fair go which is why we have committed to supporting the historically under-valued workers in this sector.The Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Bill does not make any changes to the existing Act that would affect the rights that it provides to care and support workers. It formalises the mental health and addiction support worker settlement which was signed last year. It removes the exclusion of mental health and addiction support workers from the existing Act and quite rightly increases their pay rates from 1 July 2017—the same date that the care and support worker wage rates were increased.Mental health and addiction support workers should have been included in the existing Act since 1 July 2017. They should have been receiving the same minimum wage rates and education opportunities as fellow care and support workers as well as guaranteed funding for their employers. This has now been rectified. Eligible mental health and addiction support workers have received back-pay to 1 July 2017. The settlement delivers more than higher wages to those deserving workers. By better recognising the importance of the mental health and addiction support workforce and the value of a highly trained and capable workforce people needing their care and support will benefit. Likewise employers who receive funding to offset the cost of higher wages will have a more stable and capable workforce.It's important to acknowledge those that helped us reach this point today. Firstly we acknowledge the courage and the perseverance of Ms Bartlett. Her brave actions have made a significant difference for so many thousands of workers around New Zealand and to those they care for and support. I know the Minister and this Government want to thank her. Also we want to acknowledge the parties and the contributors to the original care and support workers settlement who paved the way forward—including E tū the Public Service Association the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions; and of course the employers' associations consisting of the Aged Care Association the Home and Community Health Association and the New Zealand Disability Support Network. I would also like to thank those who determinedly progressed the case for the wrongly excluded mental health and addiction support workers. They include the unions E tū and the PSA; the provider representatives specifically Platform Trust and all the agencies who were involved in the settlement negotiations including ACC Ministry of Social Development Oranga Tamariki Department of Corrections as well as district health boards and the Ministry of Health.I'm pleased to be able to present this bill here today. I commend this bill to the House.