A quarter of a century after the adoption of the Pay Equity Act, a gap remains between predominantly male jobs and those predominantly female and it will be the most difficult to eliminate, estimates the former minister Louise Harel, responsible for the project in 1996. It has been a long road, some employees not receiving their paychecks. pay equity than today, in 2021.
When former PQ minister Louise Harel looks at the road traveled over the past 25 years, she admits that there has been a gain. In 1997, the pay gap stood at 15.8%, while in 2020 it fell to 8.1%. A slightly better picture than the Canadian average with 11.3%.
“This gain is what was easiest to do,” specifies the former Minister of State for Employment and Solidarity and responsible for the Status of Women. Even if the government itself did not apply the law from the outset, certain articles have been taken to the Supreme Court and some school employees will not receive their checks until this year.
Moreover, the one who passed the law says that several years later, in 2012, she found herself having it applied as leader of the opposition to the City of Montreal by voting for the payment of amounts due. “The circle was complete,” concludes Louise Harel.
She believes, however, that enforcing a law in public administration and large enterprises is easier than for small SMEs that are lagging behind.
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Louise Harel was Minister of State for Employment and Solidarity and responsible for the Status of Women in 1996, when the Pay Equity Act.
To find the percentage of women that the law has not reached, that is to say immigrant women as well as those with a low education and a low salary, it will take a formidable mobilization, because it is the hardest nucleus to fight. dislodge.
Louise Harel, former Minister of State for Employment and Solidarity and responsible for the Status of Women
At the time, the mobilization of labor federations, parliamentarians, community organizations and feminists had paid off.
The Director General of the Order of Certified Human Resources Advisors of Quebec, Manon Poirier, raises the same issue, with supporting statistics: in 2015, racialized Canadian women earned 59 cents for every dollar earned by non-racialized men.
However, Quebec could stand out as a pioneer as in 1996 if it took diversity into account by ensuring that being an immigrant and having been trained elsewhere does not have an impact on the salary level. , offers Mme Pear tree. “Even though it’s a very complex exercise, I agree. ”
No penalty if the law is not applied
The files drag on in particular in non-unionized circles. The absence of a sanction does not help to reduce this gap, considers for her part the president of the CSN Caroline Senneville. “There are employers who have never even undertaken the first pay equity exercise and there is no sanction. It is a law that can be avoided and circumvented for many years. ”
Currently, 36,000 Quebec employers are required to carry out a pay equity exercise.
As for the public sector, hundreds of cases have not yet been settled, maintains Caroline Senneville, even if parallel negotiating tables have been opened specifically to tackle cases of pay inequity during the last negotiations. She cites the example of workers in the reprocessing of medical devices, positions occupied mainly by women.
A gendered labor market
The president of the CSN recalls that the Quebec labor market is extremely gendered. Out of more than 600 job titles in the provincial government, only a few dozen are mixed. For example, there are 15% female engineers and 3% male secretaries.
“This is what must be highlighted,” says Caroline Senneville. Especially since there are still people who confuse equal pay, the same pay for the same position, and pay equity, which aims for better recognition of positions occupied mainly by women, she said.
It is not uncommon for the president of the CSN to still hear reflections tinged with prejudice or ignorance, such as the one alleging that a man exercising a female occupation will not be entitled to a raise. Or that it is impossible to compare the work of a secretary sitting at her desk all day with that of a truck driver on the road.
Yet, she says, men lose nothing in the exchange. On the contrary. Not only cannot the wages of the male categories be lowered, but the financial contribution of female jobs becomes greater for the whole family.
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The pandemic has shown the strategic importance of attendants, nurses, daycare educators and teachers to the most vulnerable populations.
The revelations of the pandemic
“Young men without training will have very advantageous salary conditions compared to women who take care of our children, the elderly and the sick”, raises Manon Poirier who firmly believes that we must further raise the price to its fair value. remuneration of women in this type of job.
In this regard, the pandemic has shown the strategic importance of attendants, nurses, daycare educators and teachers, observes Louise Harel. Jobs that were devalued compared to those in production, manufacturing or finance.
We have collectively realized the importance in society of these service jobs, otherwise we are very vulnerable as a human society.
Louise harel
A little higher, a little further
Can we go further with this same law and reach a 0% difference? asks Manon Poirier. “We don’t have the answer. ”
Louise Harel believes that the sectoral mechanism provided for in the law could precisely help achieve it. Instead of making a comparison of positions within the same company, the comparison can be made by sector, especially in food, restaurants and hotels. “It has been used very little so far, because companies are reluctant to disclose compensation. ”
“100 years ago, we had a debate in the Supreme Court to know if the woman was a human being, observes Caroline Senneville. We must take the measure of the battles won and continue to see what can be improved. ”