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gender pay gap information bill

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The Gender Pay Gap Information Bill was debated in the Seanad this week, where it received cross-party support.

The Labour Party Bill has now passed second stage and will continue to committee stage.

Once made into law, the Bill will require employers with more than 50 employees to publish details of their internal gender pay gaps.

Speaking about the Bill, Fine Gael Minister David Stanton said that Government was 'not opposed in principle to the Bill' and that he 'very much welcomed' the debate raised by its introduction.

The Bill was labelled a 'very progressive and necessary piece of legislation,' by Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway. 

Fianna Fáil Senator Robbie Gallagher said that his party supported the Bill, and described it as a 'much needed' piece of legislation and 'a sensible measure and solution.'

'It was encouraging to see the Bill receive enthusiastic support from Senators across the political spectrum,' said communications executive at IMPACT Trade Union, Lughan Deane

'It’s worth noting that some Senators expressed minor concerns around ensuring that the legislation is both of benefit to workers and fair and practicable for employers.'

'Given that IMPACT is both a trade union representing workers’ interests and an employer, we too have an interest in ensuring both objectives are met.'

'It’s important to realise that this Bill is a carrot, not a stick. The emphasis is (and should be) on celebrating good practise where pay equality is concerned.'

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Today, the Seanad will debate the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2017.

If made into law, the Bill would require organisations with more than 50 employees to publish regular wage surveys aimed at measuring their internal Gender Pay Gaps.

'The EU figures show that in Ireland, women currently earn around 13.9 per cent less than men – better than the equivalent gap in the UK, where the difference is 19.5 per cent, but still impacting significantly on women’s careers and incomes,' wrote Labour Party Senator Ivana Bacik in her column for The Journal.

'Put another way, that figure equates to women in full time employment working for free in Ireland for about one month of every year.'

'Following the introduction of European pay equality directives, we passed equal pay legislation in Ireland more than forty years ago, in 1974, yet women still have not achieved anything close to pay parity with our male colleagues.'

The bill will be brought to Seanad attention today to be discussed by the Government. 

'Labour understands that there is a range of factors, including the issue of unconscious bias, which contributes to gender inequality in the workplace,' commented spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan.

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