Why is proactive pay equity law better than complaint-based?
Proactive pay equity laws require employers and unions to take positive action to examine pay systems and eliminate discrimination in wages. Proactive legislation is more effective because: • it is comprehensive, covering all workers in the workplace; • it recognizes that wage discrimination is a systemic, not an individual, problem; • it combines legislative direction, collective bargaining and enforcement with the option of neutral adjudication of any dispute; • it changes the structures of organizations and makes organizational change more durable; • it combines human rights with labour and human resources plans. Proactive legislation is the best way to get employers and unions to the table to deal with equal pay issues – at a separate table, not subject to trade offs for other benefits or wages. Complaint-based pay equity is less effective because: • it doesn’t work; • the burden is on individual employees to take on their employer; • delay and confusion are the norm, since human r
