A LAW ON PAY EQUITY AN ELECTION ISSUE

SATURDAY, August 12, 2006

The Coalition for Pay Equity
invites all New Brunswickers to make
A LAW ON PAY EQUITY AN ELECTION ISSUE

"Women in NB must go on the offensive this election" stated Anne-Marie Gammon, Chair of the Coalition for Pay Equity. "It's time we made ourselves heard in order to get a law on pay equity. We want the work done by women to finally be recognized and paid what it's worth," she continued.

To ensure that pay equity becomes an election issue, Anne-Marie Gammon is calling on all women and men who would like to see a more just New Brunswick to speak with each of the candidates in their riding, wherever they can be found: whether at the grocery store, a café, at a meeting or in their campaign office.

"The message must be clear: pay equity legislation in the public and private sectors is needed. Now, not in ten years!" said Anne-Marie Gammon.

The Coalition for Pay Equity suffered a disappointing setback in December 2005, when the Standing Committee on Law Amendments, composed of Conservatives and Liberals, rejected the pay equity bill introduced into the Legislative Assembly by Elizabeth Weir, then leader of the NDP.

In 2005, the Progressive Conservative party proposed voluntary measures for private-sector employees as part of the five year Action Plan on the Wage Gap. Margaret-Ann Blaney, then Minister responsible for the Status of Women, repeated that she would be ready to legislate if, after five years, the results of the action were unsatisfactory. Will that promise be part of the Progressive Conservative party's election platform?

In its platform, the Liberal party made a commitment to "ensure that the Pay Equity Act applies to all parts of the Public Service" and to "bring together all stakeholders with the goal of extending pay equity to the private sector through legislation."

The New Democratic Party, for its part, has frequently declared its support for pay equity legislation for both the public and private sectors. As mentioned, it was Elizabeth Weir who introduced the pay equity bill at the Legislative Assembly, while she was leader of the NDP.

The Coalition for Pay Equity has been lobbying for pay equity legislation since 1998. The Coalition currently has 70 organizational members and hundreds of individual members.

Pay equity is equal pay for work of equal value. It involves recognizing the value of predominantly female jobs. Pay equity legislation would require that employers first compare the value of these jobs to those that are predominantly male, and then adjust the salary of the female jobs as needed. The comparison is made by taking into account four job-related factors: responsibility, skill, effort, and working conditions. In this way, the work of female secretaries can be compared to that of male technicians, that of chambermaids to that of doormen, of assistant accountants to car salespeople.

"Women are active participants in our economy. It is time for their work to be compensated fairly. It is imperative that the next government adopt pay equity legislation for the public and private sectors in New Brunswick," concluded Anne-Marie Gammon.


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Johanne Perron Coordonnatrice/CoordinatorCoalition pour l'équité salarialeCoalition for Pay Equity154, rue Queen StreetMoncton (N.-B.) E1C 1K8Tél./Tél.: (506) 855-0002Téléc./Fax: (506) 854-9728www.equite-equity.com