• About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
  • Articles en français
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home *Opinion*

Home support workers should not subsidize employer payroll costs

by Johanne Perron
August 21, 2013
Reading Time: 2min read

Home support worker. Photo supplied.

The NB Coalition for Pay Equity is shocked to learn that home support workers’ retroactive pay equity adjustments for 2012-2013 have been reduced to pay for employer mandatory payroll costs such as contributions to EI, CPP and vacation pay.

“Home support workers should not be forced to shoulder the financial responsibilities of their employers. It’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Vallie Stearns, Chair of the NB Coalition for Pay Equity.

According to the provincial government, home support workers should earn at least $13.15 an hour. From 2011 until now, the Department of Social Development has only required employers to pay $11.00. After conducting job evaluations in the home care sector, the Women’s Equality Branch promised pay equity adjustments of $2.15 in total. Unfortunately, for home support workers, these pay equity adjustments were to be spread over 5 years, amounting to increments of only 43 cents an hour per year, starting in April 2012. The government began to distribute pay equity installments for 2012-2013 in June this year – over a year late.

The delay was already hard enough for the workers, but now they just found out that the government will allow employers to keep $0.06 out of their $0.43 per hour to pay for employer payroll costs.

Many home support workers are reluctant to speak out because they are afraid to lose their jobs.  Nevertheless their reaction has been strong: “My employer received a cheque for her employees and of that amount, 14% went to her… That makes absolute no sense to me at all,” one of them said. “This is our money. The government is ripping us off,” said another. “Yet another proof that nothing has changed and that no government is listening.”

“It is bad enough that the government is spreading the pay equity adjustments over 5 years without any plan to account for the increasing cost of living. It is bad enough that the government is already over a year late paying the first pay equity installments. It is bad enough that the methodology it used is flawed and produced low results. But to actually ask underpaid, low income workers to give up part of their pay for the employer payroll costs is absurd and shows a complete lack of respect for home support workers,” stated Stearns.

If the government truly supports pay equity, it would make sure that workers get their full due and provide employers with the funds to meet their statutory obligations. In fact, it should make the full pay equity adjustments now. Otherwise home support workers will finally receive in 2016 the wages they should have received in 2010, that is to say, pay equity with the wages that male workers were making in 2010.

Johanne Perron is the executive director of the NB Coalition for Pay Equity.

Tags: Johanne PerronlabourNB Coalition for Pay Equitypay equitywomen
ShareTweetSend

Related Posts

The two New Brunswicks: One for the rich, one for everyone else
Economy

The two New Brunswicks: One for the rich, one for everyone else

April 7, 2022

There are two versions of New Brunswick. One is occupied by Premier Blaine Higgs and those in his orbit. The...

‘People deserve a living wage’: Minimum wage increase not enough for decent quality of life, critics say
Economy

‘People deserve a living wage’: Minimum wage increase not enough for decent quality of life, critics say

April 2, 2022

Audio report via CHMA 106. 9 FM:  New Brunswick’s minimum wage went up by one dollar on Friday,...

Economy

Pay equity coalition welcomes wage increases for caregiving sector

March 23, 2022

The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity commends the provincial government's efforts to improve wages in the caregiving sector in...

New Brunswick needs to start investing in workers
Labour

New Brunswick needs to start investing in workers

March 22, 2022

It is time that the minimum wage is raised to a livable wage and for all workers to have paid...

Load More

Recommended

Past time to stop platforming the Fraser Institute. Canada can afford public health care.

17 hours ago
Irving’s appointment to head of Postmedia board not welcome news, says prof

Irving’s appointment to head of Postmedia board not welcome news, says prof

7 days ago
Let’s get real about energy security, local gas supply, and energy transition

Let’s get real about energy security, local gas supply, and energy transition

6 days ago
Has the Sisson mine tanked?

Has the Sisson mine tanked?

22 hours ago
NB Media Co-op

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • COVID-19
  • Videos
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Politics
  • Rural

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In