FAQ

Pay equity is the right to equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of gender. This right is internationally recognized as a human right. It protects employees from systemic wage discrimination based on gender.

Yes.

No. Being paid the same as a man for doing the same job is equal pay for equal work. Pay equity, or equal pay for work of equal value, is different: it is about comparing different, even dissimilar jobs that have the same value and ensuring that they are paid equally. For pay equity, value is determined by the composite of the skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions associated with the job.

All public service employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories, all teachers and all employees of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation are covered by these provisions of the Public Service Act.

You have the right to equal pay for work of equal value. You also have the right to make a complaint if you believe that you are not receiving equal pay for work of equal value.

If you and your employer have agreed that your complaint is well-founded, or if an arbitrator has ruled that it is, you will have access to some remedies. For example, your pay should be adjusted going forward, so that you are in receipt of equal pay for work of equal value. You may also be entitled to back pay, going as far back as three years before the date of your complaint. Finally,  you may be entitled to any rights, opportunities or privileges that were denied to you because of the violation. Other possible remedies are outlined further in the section on Complaints.

Yes. The Public Service Act prescribes specific exceptions to the right to pay equity. In particular, certain types of pay differences are “justified” and do not give rise to a pay inequity if the difference is due to one of the following:

(1) a seniority system,

(2) a merit system,

(3) a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production or performance,

(4) a compensation or hiring system that recognizes the existence of a labour shortage in respect of that field of work;

(5) a compensation or hiring system that recognizes regional differences in the cost of living,

(6) a downgrading, reclassification or demotion process or system,

(7) a transition allowance provided under certain provisions of the Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement of June 25, 2013, or

(8) a temporary rehabilitation or training program.

As a further condition, a pay difference is only “justified” if the system under which it arose is gender neutral.

No. Pay equity can be assessed anytime, without the need for a complaint to be filed. It is a best practice for an employer to review its job evaluation and compensation systems regularly to ensure that pay inequities have not crept in.