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E tū, Aotearoa’s largest private sector union, is condemning Budget 2025 as a direct attack on working people, particularly women in frontline care and community services.
The Government has slashed nearly $13 billion that would have gone to pay equity claims, gutting the mechanism that ensures fair pay for women in undervalued, female-dominated sectors like care and support. These cuts will pay for their Budget which includes tax breaks for businesses.
“This Budget is a theft of wages from women,” says E tū National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh.
“The Government is paying for its corporate handouts by stealing from the pockets of caregivers, teacher aides, and social workers. It’s a cynical, calculated betrayal.”
The pay equity changes, rushed through under urgency, have extinguished 33 active claims and raised the bar so high that future claims may be impossible.
“The Government has made it clear: if you’re a woman in a caring profession, they don’t care about you.”
The Budget also halves the Government’s contribution to KiwiSaver, dropping the maximum from $521 to just $260.72 per year.
“This is a short-sighted move that undermines the retirement security of working people. It’s a massive barrier to building a future where everyone can retire with dignity.”
Public broadcasting has also been targeted, with RNZ facing an $18 million cut over four years.
“At a time when misinformation is rampant, gutting our public broadcaster is a dangerous step backwards. It looks like the Government is afraid of real scrutiny from the fourth estate.”
Other cuts include the full means-testing of the Best Start child payment, tighter welfare rules for young people, and the removal of pay equity funding for community and iwi providers.
“This Budget punishes the people who hold our communities together. It’s not about fiscal responsibility, it’s about ideological cruelty.”
E tū is calling on the Government to reverse these cuts and engage in genuine dialogue with workers, unions, and communities.
“We will not stand by while the Government dismantles the foundations of fairness in Aotearoa. This fight is far from over.”
