Latest news with #womenInWorkforce
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
School support staff reject Ministry of Education pay offer
Teacher aides and support staff have rejected the latest offer. (File photo) Photo: Unpslash/ Laura Rivera Teacher aides and other school support staff belonging to the Educational Institute have rejected a deal that offers them less than half the pay rise they are seeking. The institute, Te Riu Roa (NZEI), said the offer was the third made by the Ministry of Education It said the offer included a pay rise of 60 cents an hour in the first year followed by 15 cents in the second year and 25 cents in the third year. The union said that amounted to a pay rise of four percent over three years for the lowest-paid support staff and about 1.7 percent for the highest-paid. The NZEI said its members were seeking an increase of five percent in the first year followed by 2.5 percent and 2.5 percent, or a total of 10 percent over three years. The ministry's offer also included lump-sum payments of $300 for full-time staff and $250 for part-time staff in the second and third years of the agreement. NZEI support staff rep and teacher aide Ally Kingi said members were angry and fired-up at meetings but were yet to decide what their next step would be. She said there were 28,000 support staff in schools, not all of whom were union members, and most were women earning less than $30,000 a year. Kingi said support staff won a pay equity boost in 2020 with provision for ongoing reviews to ensure they did not lose ground against male-dominated workforces, but had now lost the ability to have those reviews. She said members were angry about that. "I think it's a feeling of a workforce that's felt under-valued and then through winning our pay equity claims we had that real feeling of our work being seen and valued and felt really great. And then sort of to have sunk back down again, people aren't prepared to do that," she said. "It's hitting all of us in the backpocket... most people work just school hours or part of that time because we know schools aren't funded properly to employ us or to support the children that need supporting." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
South China Morning Post
14-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must end its ‘tale of two cities' to thrive
A major challenge facing Hong Kong is how to address the problem of wide income disparities , which affect the overall well-being of the community. The arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potentially adverse impact on middle-class jobs may further exacerbate inequality. Since 1981, Hong Kong's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has increased over eightfold, affirming its status as a financial centre. However, low-income groups have not shared in the economic prosperity. In fact, over the past four decades, the rich-poor divide has remained unbridged and is widening. Our research team examined four decades of census data using the Theil Index, a measure of income disparity where 0 is perfect equality and 1 represents a high degree of inequality. The Theil Index is helpful in looking at how much of the overall inequality stems from variations within a group and between groups. Our results reveal that determinants such as place of birth, gender, age and residence have a significantly less pronounced impact on income gaps between groups than one might expect. The contribution of the gender pay gap to overall income inequality decreased from 0.025 in 1981 to 0.009 in 2021, reflecting a trend towards equal pay. During this period, more women entered the workforce. Meanwhile, the number of individuals arriving in Hong Kong with one-way permits reached 1.12 million, diversifying the population.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
World War II exhibit in Metro Detroit spotlights women who served
SUV crashes into building in Redford; holiday travel peak times; and more top stories SUV crashes into building in Redford; holiday travel peak times; and more top stories SUV crashes into building in Redford; holiday travel peak times; and more top stories Memorial Day is for honoring and remembering the men and women who died serving in the military. Women are sometimes overlooked. At a new exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, they're getting the recognition that they deserve. Sitting outside the new exhibit and taking pictures on Sunday with guests was World War II Veteran George Leland. "I'm over 100 years old. I still have my hair!" Leland said. One of the original "Rosie the Riveters," Virginia Rusch, was also there. "The name of it was Republic, aircraft division, and what I did, I soldered combs," Rusch said. Virginia was just 15 years old when she took the job. "I lied. I told them I was 17. I wanted to help, which I think I did," Rusch said. They're here to see "Our War Too," which celebrates the nearly 350,000 women who served during World War II. CBS News Detroit "World War II was happening during a time when women were expected to be at home, they were expected to stay in the kitchen, help their kids, all very important things," Lori Petrelius, museum programs Manager for the Henry Ford Museum, said. "But it took World War II for us to realize that women need to be in the workforce." It features more than 200 artifacts. "It's lovely, terrific amount of work that's going into this that brought back a lot of memories, seeing a lot of these things here," Leland said. An interactive display at the exhibit allows you to hear from actual service women. "They just sacrificed everything to be in the military, the ladies that were in there, and they all worked very hard, and they all had certain jobs to do, and they did them accurately. Especially the nurses," Leland said. This exhibit is proof of their legacy. "I'm so happy for all the all the ladies. Proud of them. Just proud of them," Rusch said. And history we should never forget. The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 7.
