The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity is marking the gains of women on its 20th celebration of International Women’s Day.
The organization cites the Pay Equity Act in 2009 as a major victory to ensure women are paid equally for equal work in the public sector and in Crown corporations.
More recently, the Act was extended to cover women in federally-regulated workplaces such as in banking, telecommunications and interprovincial transportation.
Coalition executive director Johanne Perron says last December’s child care agreement between the provincial and federal governments is also a major step forward.
“(We need this) to ensure affordable and accessible child care services for all New Brunswickers and also to see that there would be money to improve wages for the child care educators.”
The agreement includes a 25 percent wage increase for educators and a reduction in fees for parents to $10 per day over five years.
Despite this progress, Perron adds more work is needed in pay equity to cover women in the private sector.
“That’s so important because about 65 percent of women in the labour market in New Brunswick are in the private sector. So we need legislation for the private sector now.”
The Coalition also continues to push government to invest in wage increases for the female-dominated workers in the community care sector.
Wages are currently between $14 and $18 per hour and the Coalition says the wages should reach between $23 and $27 to achieve pay equity.
The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity was created 20 years ago following a World Women’s March in 2000.
At that time, 139 New Brunswick women marched against gender-based violence and for legislation to eliminate pay inequity.
