The Canadian Human Rights Commission oversees regulations that, among other rights, guarantee equal pay for work of equal value for federal or federally-regulated employees. Sounds good, doesn't it? But it's not enforced and yesterday's federal budget took another step to ensure it won't be. It's a reprise of a section of last fall's financial statement - one the government withdrew then. Today, John Gordon, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said legislation promised in yesterday's budget would remove a woman's right to go to court to seek redress in cases of wage inequality. Broadening his criticism, he said in a statement:
"This budget fails working people and threatens to undermine the public services that Canadians rely on during a financial crisis of this scale. Cutting taxes will do little to create jobs or help unemployed Canadians. Working people expected more of this budget - and we expect more of our federal government."
The budget promises the government will introduce legislation to correct problems with pay equity, then contradicts itself by saying it will leave settlement to the collective bargaining process. That's not pay equity, according to the PSAC. It's pay equity maybe - and in some cases.
The section under structural changes can be found on Page 211 of the budget. It says:
"The existing complaint-based pay equity regime is a lengthy, costly and adversarial process that does not serve employees or employers well. Legislation to modernize the pay equity regime for federal public sector employees will be introduced. The new regime reflects the Government's commitment to pay equity. It will ensure that the employer and bargaining agents are jointly responsible and accountable for negotiating salaries that are fair and equitable to all employees."
The result, says the PSAC, will be pay equity if specifically negotiated, but not otherwise. Furthermore, the budget puts wage increase caps in place for coming years that makes pay equity even more unattainable. The union has unresolved equity cases going back 20 years and this legislation locks in a final restriction on women. A recent federal task force not only recognized existing rights to pay equity, it recommended a course of action for implementation. The Canadian Labour Congress offers a summary of those recommendations.
The Conservative government (like its Liberal and Conservative predecessors) apparently doesn't believe in either pay equity or the need to enforce its own regulations.
The PSAC sees pay equity as a human right. To spell it out, men aren't to be paid more than women for the same job. It's disappointing so few voices have been raised on behalf of public sector workers.
A blunter title to this post might have been: women take it in the neck again.
I'm 70 years young! all my life I've worked in situations with equal pay for equal work [or the equivalent}. why are we taking a step backwards again? I was self employed for most of the time because it was the only way I had equity. next, they'll be after my rights to my body again.why do women consistently have to fight for justice?
Posted by: carol kudla | January 28, 2009 at 06:40 PM
"Why do women consistently have to fight for justice?". Perhaps because there are 23 female Tory MPs who will vote for this (and probably 19 Lib women too). You couldn't make it up could you?
Would these MPs be happy to receive a smaller salary than their male counterparts? Maybe someone should ask them that particular question?!
Posted by: MarkI | February 01, 2009 at 01:27 AM