EMA decision in 24 hours - board member

Alasdair Thompson, chief executive of the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern). Photo / NZ Herald

An Employers and Manufacturers Association board member believes a decision on the fate of its CEO will be made in the 24 hours.

Alasdair Thompson is under fire for his comments linking women's periods to their productivity.

An emergency board meeting to discuss Mr Thompson's future as the Association's chief scheduled for today had been cancelled.

Association spokesman Gilbert Peterson confirmed earlier this morning no further meeting had been scheduled.

The move was to let the board consider the matter without "pressure", he said.

Mr Peterson said a further statement on Mr Thompson's job would be delivered by the EMA within a week.

"The decision has not been made already. They don't necessarily have to meet to make a decision."

However EMA board member Laurie Margrain said he still expected a decision on Mr Thompson within 24 hours.

Phone calls would be exchanged between board members through the day, he said.

"It's a decision that demands it is resolved professionally. There will be a resolution."

Mr Margrain has already denounced Mr Thompson's remarks suggesting women are paid less because they take sick days when they had their period and called for the board to act "decisively and robustly".

Mr Thompson said during a radio interview last week that women were paid less because they took sick days when they had their period.

His statements were widely criticised as 'sexist' by unions, MPs and commentators, and sparked a tampon-throwing protest outside his office over the weekend.

Apologies from Mr Thompson have failed to quell the outrage, particularly as he was unable to back up the his claims with fact.

From India, where he is on an official visit, Prime Minister John Key waded into the debate.

He described Mr Thompson's comments as "regrettable".

However he wouldn't speculate on whether Mr Thompson should keep his job, saying it was a matter for the Association.

Mr Key thinks New Zealand does well when it comes to equal pay.

"I would hate to characterise the way New Zealand business treats the matter is reflective of the comments from Alasdair Thompson, because if you have a look the OECD-released report showing women participation rates in the workforce are very high, the pay gap is actually narrowing," he said from India.

Mr Key says hes never noticed a difference in the number of sick days that men and women take.

In 2010 the difference between men and women's sick leave in the public sector was just 1.6 days, according to an Official Information Act request made by the Public Service Association.

- NZPA and Newstalk ZB