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April 30, 2018
Case studies

Equal Pay for Equal Work Provisions Now in Effect

As of April 1, 2018, employers are now required to pay employees equal pay for equal work. We discussed this change in an earlier post on Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, but it was only earlier this month that the provision came into effect.

Under the new provision, employers are prohibited from paying employees different wages based on employment status. For example, this prevents employers from paying part-time employees a lower wage than full-time workers provided they’re doing the same or similar work.

Employees who suspect their employer is not complying with the requirement for equal pay can request that their employer review their pay for compliance with the Employment Standards Act. An employee who does so cannot be punished by their employer.

Employees should note, however, that this provision does not protect them if the difference in wage is based on seniority, required skills or different working conditions.

Millard & Company has extensive experience drafting employer policies to comply with changing legal obligations, as well as supporting employees in seeking their legal entitlements. If you would like to discuss your options, please contact us.

By Mika Imai. Photo by Jonathan Kos-Read, cc.

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"It was an absolute pleasure to work with Ben Millard at Millard & Company Barristers and Solicitors. Before signing on to use his services he took the time to answer any and all questions we had so that we felt confident when choosing him to help us with our legal matter. Once we signed on, this did not change. He was always very quick to answer our questions or address our concerns. He was very quick to let us know our next moves and did not sit on anything which was well appreciated. Would recommend to anyone to use his services. Kind, courteous, and genuinely great person to deal with!"

- M. C.

"Within a day I was connected to Ben Millard and he walked me through the approach and compensation once he understood my circumstances. He negotiated a good deal and it was settled in less than three weeks (would have been faster except for summer holiday). He was always available for questions during the negotiation and will answer questions on any future contracts vis a vis the severance package. With Ben I know I got the best deal i could."

- T. S.

"This is the second occasion for me reaching out to Ben Millard for his employment related expertise. I greatly appreciate Ben’s clear and concise counsel. His ability to distill the relevant and important issues from all the “noise” makes working with him to be efficient and effective. I would not hesitate to recommend him for any employment law matters."

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