• Français
FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram
Find Your Local Union
Subscribe to E-news
 
Login
Contact

UFCW Canada - Union Logo

Canada's Private Sector Union

  • About Our Union
  • Media & News
  • Resources
  • Issues
  • Action Centre
  • Join the Union

Directions Newsletter

UFCW Canada presents to House of Commons Special Committee on Pay Equity

Ottawa – May 16, 2016 – UFCW Canada activists recently travelled to Ottawa to appear before the House of Commons Special Committee on Pay Equity. The presentation came in response to the federal government’s stated commitment to close the unacceptable wage gap between men and women in Canada’s federally regulated sectors, where UFCW Canada represents roughly 10,000 members working in the transportation, banking, fishing, and milling industries.

Debora De Angelis, UFCW Canada’s Regional Director for Ontario, explained to the committee that the current wage gap between men and women not only exacerbates income inequality – it also perpetuates systemic discrimination against women.

“As it stands right now, Canada's gender wage gap persists regardless of whether the gap is measured by average annual earnings, full-time full-year earnings, or hourly wages,” Sister De Angelis told the committee. “And the gap is further intensified by the fact that women make up the majority of workers in precarious, low-paying jobs.”

“UFCW Canada therefore endorses the forward-looking mandate of the Special Committee on Pay Equity to recognize pay equity as a right,” she added. “Our union also supports the implementation of the recommendations of the 2004 Pay Equity Task Force Report, and the commitment to restore the right to pay equity in the public service, which was eliminated by the Harper government in 2009.”

De Angelis went onto add that Canada’s discriminatory gender wage gap is also the result of occupational segregation and the prejudices and stereotypes – reinforced by the labour market – that have systematically undervalued and underpaid women and their work, relative to men.

“Freedom from discrimination is a fundamental human right, and freedom from wage discrimination is an essential component of that right. Proactive pay equity legislation is necessary to tackle systemic discrimination in wages, as part of a larger package of policy measures,” said De Angelis.

“In addition to biased job classification and wage-fixing systems, pay gap factors such as occupational segregation, precarious employment, and uneven distribution of unpaid labour must be addressed. Employment equity, universal child care, strong public services, decent work, living wages, and free collective bargaining are therefore needed to achieve full wage equity in Canada,” she added. 

  • Media & News
    • News
      • All News
      • Agriculture
      • By the Numbers
      • Campaigns
      • Directions Newsletter
      • Infographics
      • Politics
      • Social Justice
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Young Workers
      • Health & Safety
    • Media
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Join the Union
  • About Our Union
    • About Our Union
      • Find Your Local Union
      • National President
      • National Council
      • Constitution
      • Union History
      • Mission Statement
      • Annual Reports
      • Join UFCW Canada
  • Media & News
    • Media & News
      • News
      • Media
      • Subscribe to E-news
  • Resources
    • Resources
      • Union Training & Scholarships
      • Health & Safety
      • The National Defence Fund
      • Member Discounts
      • Great Canadian Food Products
      • UFCW Canada Equity Grant Program
  • Issues
    • Issues
      • Leukemia Fundraising
      • Political Action
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Social Justice
      • The Union for Agriculture Workers
      • UFCW Pride – Union Pride!
      • Young Workers
      • Food Justice
      • Global Solidarity
      • Uber Drivers United
      • Conscious Cannabis
  • Action Centre
    • Action Centre
      • Paid Sick Days Now!
      • Stop the Hate! Support an anti-racist COVID-19 recovery
      • Add Your Voice to the Call for Universal Childcare
      • Take Action to Protect Farm Workers and Canada’s Food Supply
      • Show your support for frontline workers
      • Help Food Processing Workers!
      • Economic Security for All
      • What you need to know about COVID-19
      • Support the expansion of EI benefits
      • Help support justice for First Nations children in Canada
      • Support Uber Drivers
      • Tell Sobeys to protect workers and ditch toxic receipts
      • Save The Beer Store
      • #NoMore campaign to end gender-based violence
      • Help close the Gender Wage Gap today
      • Stop Cargill’s union-busting in Turkey
  • Join the Union
    • Join the Union
      • Why UFCW Canada
      • Union Advantage
      • Union Facts
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Everything About Unions
      • Industries We Represent
      • Workplaces We Represent
      • How to Join a Union
      • Join Now

Login

FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram

Copyright © 2022 UFCW Canada. All Rights Reserved
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union