The federal Pay Equity Act was passed nearly two years ago, yet it has not been implemented.
This act is meant to proactively guarantee that workers in woman-dominated jobs receive equal pay for equal work, when compared to man-dominated jobs. The creation of this legislation in 2018 was a historic moment in the fight against systemic gender-based discrimination and pay disparity between men and women.
While the implementation acts were being passed, we developed recommendations to improve the Pay Equity Act and ensure the timely implementation of this important legislation. We want to see improved transparency, clarity of application requirements, and improved salary adjustment calculations, among other recommendations.
On January 13, 2021, PIPSC President Debi Daviau submitted our position to the Consultation on Pay Equity Regulations.
Our recommendations are based on our knowledge of the specific challenges that provincial pay equity regimes face, as well as our strong desire to ensure the successful implementation of pay equity at the federal level. Those recommendations were shared and improved through discussion with the other unions under the leadership of Canadian Labour Congress.
In solidarity, we have also raised our concern about the ability of non-unionized women workers in small organizations to access pay equity protections. Many of these workers are in precarious and part-time jobs and are known to face discrimination in terms of pay equity and benefits. The current regulations on pay equity do not include any specific provision to protect these workers or guarantee them equal pay for work of equal value.