Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa — NZNO senior pay equity lead Glenda Alexander joined the E Tū and the PSA unions submitting on the care and support workers’ claim.
Alexander said the “robust” claim had carried the hopes and dreams of the workers.
Ten former MPs from across politics launched the select committee after the Government rushed through pay equity law changes in May under urgency.
The committee would allow scrutiny on the effects of the law changes announced and introduced into Parliament on the same day.
E Tū national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said the claim was about equity — but also material hardship, like workers not able to buy shoes for their children or choosing between rent and power.
The Supreme Court had ruled that care and support work was undervalued because it was female-dominated, she said.
Previously unions, including NZNO, gathered nearly 94,000 signatures before handing them to Opposition parties on Parliament’s steps in July.
It came after the Government axed all 33 current pay equity claims worth $12.8 billion ahead of Budget 2025, in May.
It installed tough new thresholds for bargaining to even recommence. NZNO had 12 active claims covering 13,231 members in play, plus one review for Te Whatu Ora members, covering about 40,000. A Plunket settlement was only weeks from completion.