International Equal Pay Day (18th September) – What Can Employers Do?

On the 18^th of September, we mark International Equal Pay Day, which acknowledges the ongoing efforts across the globe to ensure equal pay for equal work becomes a reality.

In Ireland, we are moving in the right direction; new legislation now requires large employers to calculate, analyse and publish their Gender Pay Gap information by the end of this year.

We have covered the Gender Pay Gap extensively over the past number of months and this information can be found here on Linea, together with an extremely informative webinar on this topic as part of our Linea Webinar Series 2022.

What does Equal Pay mean?

However, the Gender Pay Gap should not be confused with the concept of equal pay for equal work – the existence of a Gender Pay Gap does not automatically indicate that women are not receiving equal pay to their male counterpart.

The right to equal pay is covered under employment equality legislation, which outlines nine grounds that employees cannot be discriminated against; Gender, Civil Status, Age, Disability, Family Status, Sexual Orientation, Race, Religion and being a member of the Traveller Community.

Equal pay is not limited to pay, it also includes all terms of employment such as non-discretionary bonuses, pension contributions, overtime rates, etc.

So what do Employers need to be aware of and what practical steps can they take to progress their Equal Pay Agenda?

Read more here.