Ireland urged to implement gender pay gap laws following UK implementation

Draft legislation to compel Irish companies to publish their gender pay gap should be implemented in the wake of similar legislation in the UK, Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has said.

The Gender Pay Gap Information Bill introduced to the Seanad by Senator Bacik, a barrister, passed committee stage last October.

She said: “We believe, as we are now seeing in the UK, that by shining the spotlight on any gender based pay discrepancies, companies can address and remedy such inequalities where they exist.

“There is now a general acceptance that some form of gender pay gap reporting is essential to help drive down the gap, which still exists despite passing equal pay legislation in Ireland more than 40 years ago.

“We have been working with Minister Stanton on our legislation, which passed committee stage in the Seanad in October 2017, and I am hopeful that the Bill will be progressed to Report stage and into the Dáil this year.

“Ireland has seen much social change on many issues over the years. Labour has been at the forefront of many progressive social campaigns, and we are also leading on this one, to ensure that gender-based pay inequality finally becomes a thing of the past.”