17 December 2004

It’s time for pay and employment equity

The Public Service Association (PSA) is warmly welcoming the establishment of the Pay and Employment Equity Unit.

The Unit's main task is to oversee the implementation of the five year plan of action to close the gender pay gap. It will initially work with three public sector organisations to pilot an audit tool that will help them identify the extent of the gender pay gap their workers face. Across the public sector it has been estimated that women earn on average 13 per cent less than men.

PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott said the union had argued for the establishment of a co-ordinating unit and it is very satisfying to see it now up and running.

“The time for pay and employment equity has well and truly come. The case for addressing past pay inequities, based solely on gender, is irrefutable. We strongly believe the issue needs to be recognised, measured and addressed discretely rather than traded as part of wage and salary negotiations.

“The PSA supports the Pay and Employment Equity Taskforce’s action plan and we see the establishment of the Unit and the piloting of the audit tools as early runs on the board.

“The state is the biggest employer of women. The PSA has over 46,000 members in the public service, health, and wider state sector and we have historically led the way for equal pay.

“The PSA believes that achieving pay and employment equity will have significant consequences including a fairer society and a more dynamic economy – it benefits everyone. It will also make working in the state sector more attractive when pay rates and employment conditions are fair and equitable,” Brenda Pilott said.

ENDS

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