National celebrates falling wages

National’s Women’s Affairs spokesperson Pansy Wong yesterday bizarrely celebrated the fact that wages in New Zealand are falling, Labour Women’s Affairs spokesperson Sue Moroney says.

“Pansy Wong yesterday claimed that under National that wage gap between men and women had narrowed. What Pansy Wong failed to point out was that wages for full-time workers had fallen in New Zealand,” Sue Moroney said.

“New Zealand families are struggling to make ends to meet, more than 160,000 people are out of work, power, food and early childhood education fees are all increasing and placing extra pressure on families

“As Minister of Women’s Affairs Pansy Wong should know that families are under pressure and to issue a media statement boasting that the wage gap between men and women had narrowed and not understand why it was an insult to every family that is struggling.

“I find it incredibly insulting that the Minister of Women’s Affairs can have so little understanding of the current economic situation in this country that she would actually issue a media statement that to all intense purposes celebrates wages falling.

“National came to power promising to lift wages and ensure families were better off, but under National those families who are on low and middle incomes are finding that things are getting worse not better.

“Women, families and all New Zealanders deserve better than a Government that has so little understanding of the economic situation in this country that it would actually celebrate the fact that wages fell,” Sue Moroney said,