Latest news with #EqualEmploymentOpportunities
RNZ News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Overhaul of equal pay legislation is halting progress, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner says
The government says settlements had cost the Crown $1.78 billion dollars a year. Photo: 123rf The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner says she has serious concerns about the proposed overhaul of equal pay law . The government is planning to limit the scope of pay equity claims and raise the threshold of proof, making it harder to prove a job has been historically undervalued. It said settlements had cost the Crown $1.78 billion dollars a year. The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Gail Pacheco said any savings for the government would come from the pockets of women working in jobs that were undervalued. Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Gail Pacheco. Photo: Supplied "It's also concerning that the government is putting a stop to progress made to current claims that thousands of individuals have contributed to in good faith. "Their hard work deserves to be respected, not undone," she said. This included current claims from teachers, residential support workers, psychologists, education advisors, vet nurses, service managers and administration and clerical workers. "As Kiwis we believe in giving everyone a fair go. That includes making sure people working in jobs dominated by women are paid fairly and valued for their work." Professor Pacheco said making these changes under urgency didn't allow for appropriate consultation with affected groups, and that the changes conflicted with government obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, such as taking proactive steps to address pay disparities and promote equitable outcomes for Māori. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
EEO Commissioner Says Equal Pay Act Amendments Undermine Progress For Pay Equity
Press Release – Human Rights Commission Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people. The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner has expressed serious concerns over an overhaul of the Equal Pay Act to make taking claims more difficult. 'As Kiwis we believe in giving everyone a fair go. That includes making sure people working in jobs dominated by women are paid fairly and valued for their work,' says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco. Pay equity claims aim to balance often longstanding inequities between men and women doing work of equal value. They are an important part of broader goals for gender equality and equal opportunities across all aspects of life. The announced changes include limiting the scope of claims, setting higher thresholds, and requiring more evidence of inequities. 'The significant savings to the Government will come from the pockets of women working in jobs that are undervalued,' says Professor Pacheco. 'It's also concerning that the government is putting a stop to progress made to current claims that thousands of individuals have contributed to in good faith. Their hard work deserves to be respected, not undone.' This includes current claims from teachers, residential support workers, psychologists, education advisors, vet nurses, service managers and administration and clerical workers. Professor Pacheco notes that making these changes under urgency doesn't allow for appropriate consultation with affected groups, and that these changes conflict with Government obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, such as taking proactive steps to address pay disparities and promote equitable outcomes for Māori. 'Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people,' she says. 'We urge the government to reconsider its approach, undertake the appropriate parliamentary process, and advance legislation that upholds the rights of all people in the workplace.'
Scoop
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
EEO Commissioner Says Equal Pay Act Amendments Undermine Progress For Pay Equity
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner has expressed serious concerns over an overhaul of the Equal Pay Act to make taking claims more difficult. 'As Kiwis we believe in giving everyone a fair go. That includes making sure people working in jobs dominated by women are paid fairly and valued for their work,' says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Professor Gail Pacheco. Pay equity claims aim to balance often longstanding inequities between men and women doing work of equal value. They are an important part of broader goals for gender equality and equal opportunities across all aspects of life. The announced changes include limiting the scope of claims, setting higher thresholds, and requiring more evidence of inequities. 'The significant savings to the Government will come from the pockets of women working in jobs that are undervalued,' says Professor Pacheco. "It's also concerning that the government is putting a stop to progress made to current claims that thousands of individuals have contributed to in good faith. Their hard work deserves to be respected, not undone." This includes current claims from teachers, residential support workers, psychologists, education advisors, vet nurses, service managers and administration and clerical workers. Professor Pacheco notes that making these changes under urgency doesn't allow for appropriate consultation with affected groups, and that these changes conflict with Government obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, such as taking proactive steps to address pay disparities and promote equitable outcomes for Māori. 'Our parliamentary processes are in place to protect democratic participation rights and should not be circumvented, especially on an issue like this which has significant consequences for so many people,' she says. 'We urge the government to reconsider its approach, undertake the appropriate parliamentary process, and advance legislation that upholds the rights of all people in the workplace.'
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Admin Arrests FBI Agent Who Went After Rudy Giuliani
A veteran FBI agent who blew the whistle on what he saw as political meddling in the bureau's work was arrested this week by federal authorities while attempting to board an international flight at New York City's JFK Airport. Jonathan Buma, who had worked for the bureau for 15 years, stands accused of illegally disclosing classified records in his upcoming tell-all book about his career. He drew scrutiny during Trump's first term for reportedly saying during a presentation that he believed Rudy Giuliani may have been compromised by a Russian counter-influence operation—concerns that were immediately shut down by his superiors. On Monday, the longtime counterintelligence officer was about to board an outbound international flight when he was taken into custody. Buma was released on $10,000 bail on Tuesday during a Brooklyn federal court hearing, and his case will be handled in a California federal court. He has not entered a plea, according to The Guardian. Federal prosecutors allege that Buma printed around 130 confidential files marked with clear security warnings from his FBI office in October 2023. This information was taken hours before Buma went on leave from the bureau. According to the Associated Press, the court affidavit stated that these files included screenshots of messages with an informant, the identity of an informant, and information provided by informants. He also allegedly shared drafts of his manuscript through email and on social media, which contained information regarding 'the FBI's efforts and investigations into a foreign country's weapons of mass destruction ('WMD') program.' In an interview with Business Insider in September 2023, Buma claimed that his work was being dismissed thanks to the politically sensitive nature of his cases. He recalls an incident in 2019 during the Trump administration where he brought up two sets of unverified information on Hunter Biden and Rudy Giuliani. He had gotten the immediate green light to investigate further into Biden's ties to Ukrainian energy company Burisma, but was shut down by his supervisors when he tried bringing up unfavorable information about Giuliani. In the interview he remembers asking his co-handling agent: 'Why do they keep going back to the Bidens?' Buma later filed a whistleblower complaint with the bureau in 2022, and another whistleblower statement to the U.S. Senate in 2023, saying he was 'at my wits' end' with his superiors' 'numerous acts of intelligence suppression.' He also filed an Equal Employment Opportunities complaint later that year. Buma's home was raided in October 2023 and his attorney Scott Horton denied that any classified information was found. This isn't the first time the Trump administration has attempted to stifle a tell-all memoir. In 2020, the administration tried to stop the publication of former national security adviser John Bolton's book on his time at the White House, filing a lawsuit alleging that he had breached non-disclosure agreements and that his manuscript was 'rife with classified information.' More recently, in 2023, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen had his appeal rejected by the Supreme Court—part of a case that began when he alleged that Trump had him jailed as retaliation for his memoir. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges of helping pay porn actor Stormy Daniels hush money to avoid damaging Trump's 2016 presidential bid, and ended up serving time.
The Guardian
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
FBI agent who accused agency of political bias arrested at New York airport
A veteran FBI agent who blew the whistle on alleged political bias during Donald Trump's first presidency was arrested at New York's JFK airport moments before boarding an international flight. Johnathan Buma, a 15-year counterintelligence officer and eventual whistleblower, now faces charges of illegally disclosing classified information through a prospective tell-all book about his career. Federal prosecutors allege Buma systematically harvested confidential materials from the bureau's internal systems, printing approximately 130 files clearly marked with security warnings in October 2023 before going on leave. He allegedly shared draft portions of a book manuscript via email that contained information about 'the FBI's efforts and investigations into a foreign country's weapons of mass destruction ('WMD') program', the filing reads. During a Brooklyn federal court hearing on Tuesday, Buma was released on $100,000 bail, though the case will be handled in California federal court. He has not entered a plea. The investigation into the FBI agent began during the Biden administration, when his home was raided in late 2023. That year, Buma told Business Insider about what he described as differential treatment of politically sensitive cases. He described an incident during which he allegedly presented information about potential criminal actions involving Hunter Biden and Ukrainian energy company Burisma to a supervisor at the Los Angeles field office – prompting his boss to advance the case. Then when he went to raise concerns in the same meeting that former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani might have been compromised in a Russian counter-influence operation, Buma says his superior moved to immediately dismiss the matter altogether. In a semi-redacted statement to the Senate in 2023, Buma explained how he was 'at my wits end' and filed a whistleblower complaint in January 2022 alleging 'numerous acts of intelligence suppression' related to his reporting on foreign intelligence matters. The complaint also claimed he faced retaliation for voicing his concerns, and he filed an Equal Employment Opportunities complaint later that year. Following the October 2023 raid on Buma's home, his attorney Scott Horton denied any wrongdoing and claimed no classified information was found.
