On November 1, many things are changing in the job sector, including wage transparency from employers and Crown corporations, but effective immediately, employers can’t punish you for discussing wages with colleagues.
Earlier this year, BC announced that it was making some changes to employment law in the province with the Pay Transparency Act, which passed in May.
On the note of discussing wages with your co-workers, it technically was always legal.
Still, it seems that the hope is with the Pay Transparency Act, BC employers will be further discouraged from disciplining their employees for doing so.
Effective immediately, BC employers can no longer punish, dismiss, suspend, demote, or harass employees on the following grounds:
- Asking employers about their pay
- Revealing their pay to another employee or someone applying to work with their employer
- Asking the employer about its pay transparency report
- Giving information to the director of pay transparency about their employer
Furthermore, BC says women earned 17% less than men last year. It also says that the pay gap disproportionately impacts Indigenous women, women of colour and female immigrants, women with disabilities and non-binary people.
As part of the Pay Transparency Act, employers will be required to show the gaps in pay for specific groups.
If employers wish to not offer their gender information to employers for the pay transparency report, they can decline.