Just how transparent is B.C.’s Pay Transparency Act?
On Oct. 30, 2023, the province announced that effective Nov. 1, 2023, B.C. employers were required to include transparent wage or salary information on publicly advertised jobs.
Kelli Paddon, parliamentary secretary for gender equity, said that “people deserve equal pay for equal work” and that “making sure transparent wage or salary information is included in all job postings helps make sure people are being offered the same pay for the same work.”
Statistics Canada reported women in B.C. still make 17 per cent less than men, which disproportionately impacts Indigenous women, women from visible minorities as well as immigrant women. In 2022, men earned, on average, $35.50 per hour; for Indigenous women, this was $26.74 per hour; for visible minority women, $27.44 per hour; and for immigrant women, $28.78 per hour.
One of the goals of the Pay Transparency Act is to ensure the pay gap goes all across the gender spectrum, as it “likely affects people all along the gender continuum, including non-binary, transgender and Two Spirit people,” reported the province.
Also beginning in November of 2023 was the requirement for medium and large-sized companies to publicly report their gender pay gap. This is being done in phases, with companies with 1,000 employees or more being required to post their reports by Nov. 1, 2024, and companies with 50 or more employees having until Nov. 1, 2026.
Will women now making significantly less than their male counterparts be bumped up to an equal wage?
Once women know about a pay discrepancy, will they ask for a raise?
It’s an intimidating ask - for anyone - but unfortunately, some companies still won’t approach you about a raise until you approach them.
There is good news, though.
The Pay Transparency Act, passed May 11, 2023, says that an employee cannot be dismissed, suspended, demoted, disciplined or harassed for asking their employer about their pay, telling others how much they make or asking about the company’s pay transparency report.
Now, everyone likes to talk about their finances. It can be an uncomfortable and awkward conversation.
But it’s the elephant in the room we’re all wondering about.
If you’re wondering what people of other genders in your office make, it is your right to create an open dialogue and ask your company for their gender pay gap report.
This goes beyond gender, too. Maybe you’ve been at your company for several years and wonder if the new colleague who just walked through the door makes more than you.
Or perhaps you know they make more money because the Pay Transparency Act required the company to list the wage on the recent job posting.
You’re allowed to bring this up with your employer.
If you feel you’re not being paid fairly, check out the BC Human Rights Code to see if you have a claim. Claims can be filed with the BC Human Rights Tribunal at bchrt.bc.ca.
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