The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity held its annual forum on Saturday, inviting workers and employers from the public, private and caregiving sectors to share their experiences and raise concerns for those who feel they still aren’t being paid what they’re worth.
It was a day of speaking up on social justice, and an inside look as to why some are not receiving the pay-equity they feel they deserve.
“We have pay-in equity, mostly because we have sex-typed occupational categories over the years,” says Moncton South MLA Cathy Rogers.
Gender was a hot topic at the forum. The Coalition for Pay Equity says about 70% of women work in female dominated jobs.
“If 70% of women are working in jobs that are underpaid but there’s no recourse, then you need a pay equity law,” says Vallie Stearns-Anderson, Anglophone Chair of the Pay Equity Coalition.
In 2009, New Brunswick legislated a ‘Pay Equity Act’ that has seen some areas receive up to $5/hour increases in pay. However, that act only covers the public sector of employment, and excludes the private sector.
“It also does not cover caregiving services, such as daycares, nursing homes, home supports,” adds Stearns-Anderson.
Katherine Mann is one of those home support workers who has been fighting for pay equity.
An evaluation at the 2012 forum suggested someone in her line of work should be making at least $20 an hour.
The Coalition says that caregivers are paid between $12 and $15 an hour, a wage that the coalition says is insufficient for the work done.
“Seven years later and we’re still not even making $20, we’re only making $15,” explains Mann.
Student intervention workers Sonia Gibbs says she is only now feeling the benefits of pay equity. She says as a single mom, she could barely make ends meet.
“I couldn’t afford a car, apartment, paying my student loans. I always had two jobs, working weeks at school and weekends at Tim Hortons,” explained Gibbs.
In November 2018, the N.B. Coalition for Pay Equity was granted $335,000 by the federal government, to address the low wages being paid to women who work as caregivers in the province’s private sector.
Moncton South MLA Cathy Rogers says the Brian Gallant-led Liberals were in favour of pay equity for the private sector, but Blaine Higgs’ PC government hasn’t pushed it forward.
“It got stopped, voted down at the second reading level, and it’s quite sad actually that this very important file can’t move forward. I do worry about it, and where’s the Minister today?” asks Rogers.
Another topic that was brought up in today’s forum was race, and how that comes into play when it comes to pay equity.
“Racialized women have less access to the job market,” explains Kafiy Nzeya-Weva, a member of the Pay Equity Coalition.
Nzeya-Weva points to Canada-wide stats that point to larger problems with wage gaps.
“Canada-wide is 32% wage gap,” explained Nzeya-Weva. “56% of women with disability, 55% immigrant, 45% indigenous, 40% racialized.”
Coalition members say they’ve seen some improvements over the years in those marginalized gaps. But they say as long as there remains a need for an annual pay equity forum, there is still a long way to go to close those gaps.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker.
