Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Nov 1999

Vol. 509 No. 6

Written Answers. - Employment Equality.

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

510 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on whether the position of women in employment in terms of pay differentials has markedly improved since the establishment of the former Employment Equality Agency; and his further views on whether the new Equality Authority will address the issue of pay differentials as part of its strategy plan. [21008/99]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The position of women in employment in terms of pay differentials between them and their male counterparts has improved considerably since the establishment of the former Employment Equality Agency in 1977.

In Ireland the wage differential gap has traditionally been measured by reference to the average hourly earnings of female production workers in manufacturing industry compared with that of their male counterparts. In 1975 the average female wage in this category was 62 per cent of that of their male counterparts. This rose to almost 69 per cent in 1980, and then fluctuated during the early and mid-1980s. The ratio has been gradually improving since then and in 1995 it was over 73 per cent. The latest CSO figures available, which relate to December 1998, show the ratio at 75 per cent.

Under the terms of Partnership 2000, my Department commissioned the ESRI to conduct a follow up study on male/female wage differentials, which was last produced in 1994. The terms of the follow up study include, inter alia, a repeat of the analysis of the 1994 study, an examination of the wage gap, to refine information on the reasons which underlie it and the relative contribution of each underlying reason to the gap, and undertaking comparisons with other EU countries and seeking to identify factors contributing to cross – country differences in wage differentials. Work on the follow up study is nearing completion.

The Employment Equality Act, 1998, came into operation on 18 October 1999. The Act provides for equal pay for work of equal value, between workers of the opposite sex, where both are employed by the same or an associated employer. While this provision is similar to a provision contained in the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act, 1974, the 1998 Act contains a number of improvements over the 1974 Act. In particular, the requirement that the claimant and the comparator must be employed in the same place has been removed; a claimant can select as a comparator a person employed within the three years preceding or following the alleged discrimination; employees of associated employers will be able to make an equal pay claim if they have reasonably comparable terms and conditions of employment with a comparator and indirect discrimination is specifically outlawed. As part of its wider functions of working towards the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of equality of opportunity in relation to employment, the Equality Authority will provide advice and assistance to people who wish to pursue an equal pay claim under the Act.

The Employment Equality Act, 1998, requires the Equality Authority to prepare and submit a strategic plan to me for approval, as soon as practicable after the Act comes into operation. I understand that the authority hopes to submit a plan to me before the end of the year. At present, I am unable to say if the plan will include a specific reference to the issue of pay differentials.