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Cormack applauds federal pay equity settlement: urges Alberta to follow federal lead

EDMONTON – The federal government has finally acted in an appropriate manner in its pay equity dispute with its own employees, says Audrey Cormack, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

Cormack says the agreement announced today between the Public Service Alliance and the Treasury Board will finally provide some justice for the 200,000 current and former employees who have been consistently underpaid in the past.

“I applaud the Federal government for deciding to finally abide by the original Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision,” says Cormack. “Any further judicial appeals against the decision would have been grossly unfair to these women – and a total waste of taxpayers money.”

However, it is the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) that deserves all of the credit for this victory for working people, according to Cormack. “The PSAC has been fighting this battle for the past fifteen years – and they deserve heartfelt thanks from working women, trade unionists and social justice advocates across Canada,” says Cormack.

Women workers under federal jurisdiction in the private sector should now expect some action to address their pay inequities, according to Cormack. “Now that the federal government has finally set a standard, I believe that private sector employers under federal jurisdiction must act promptly to meet those same standards with their own employees,” says Cormack.

The labour leader also believes that this settlement should convince the Alberta government to reconsider its opposition to pay equity.

“The Alberta government has consistently refused to address the inequity of its own pay structures,” says Cormack. “But, they are now clearly lagging behind the mainstream of Canadian society in the area of women’s pay. I urge them to take this settlement as a sign that it is time to correct their own unjust treatment of women workers – and to pass pay equity legislation that will create fairness for women working for other private and public employees in Alberta.”

For more information call:

Audrey Cormack, President: 780-483-3021 (wk) / 780-499-6530 (cell) / 780-428-9367 (hm)