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PAY TRANSPARENCY TO CLOSE THE GENDER PAY GAP

Published: Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Transparency around pay is essential, so that we can remove the question of gender-influenced pay. Pay transparency is an internationally recognized tool in closing the gender pay gap. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Labour Organisation and UN Women lead the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) which also identified pay transparency as an important device in closing the pay gap. In 2014, the European Union Commission passed a recommendation that its member states implement pay transparency. Numerous countries have introduced pay transparency measures, including Iceland, Australia, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and the UK. Significant pay transparency already exists in Ireland. Civil service and public sector workers’ pay structures are already transparent because they are unionized employees with publicly available collective agreements that outline pay scales. Legislating to facilitate pay transparency will hold organisations publically accountable for their pay structures and the actions taken to eliminate the practices that serve to perpetuate the gender pay gap. Recognising those with equitable practices while extending the opportunity to be recognised, as such, ensures the fair implementation of this new measure.

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