Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join with others in commending Senator Bacik and welcoming the Bill. It is an important step forward and something that has been sought for a long time by groups such as trade unions, including SIPTU and IMPACT, the National Women's Council of Ireland, with which I have a record, the Union of Students in Ireland and many others.

The necessity of the Bill is clear. Despite the legislation we have had for a very long time, our gender pay gap is persistent. It is worth noting that the gender pay gap has widened in Ireland. It was 12.6% in 2008 and widened during the period of austerity. It is not simply the case that we are not making adequate progress and may need to wait for 170 years for equality. Rather, during austerity and recession women were at the front line and the gender pay gap widened to 14.4%. It is now 13.9%, but there is a clear direction to travel.

A Senator referred to phrases that are thrown around, such as "discredited figures" and so on. The gender pay gap is very clearly monitored across Europe. The fact that there are causes that lead to a result does not discredit the result. Such a comment is like saying that if we did maths in a fashion that stated that if one took away two and two one would no longer get four. Of course there are multidimensional causes and explanations behind the gender pay gap. That is the nature of how statistics work. We need to tease out the causes, take action and recognise that there is a societal responsibility.

In terms of the question of hours, the gender pay gap figures from Europe we are discussing, a gap which is 13.9 % in Ireland, refer to the median hourly rate. It does not take into account part-time work and other issues. In fact, if one adds to the fact that women are getting a lower hourly rate the fact that, in many cases, they are also working less hours one finds there is a wider gender pay gap. For example, the gender pay gap in terms of median monthly wages in 2014 was 22.8%. It is not the case that we have to consider part-time work and that will somehow make other facts disappear. If we consider the fact of part-time work, the gap gets wider.

We heard about the higher levels of income for those with higher levels of qualifications. It is also important to consider the lower end of the income scale. The figures for those on low incomes are extraordinarily stark. Figures from the Central Statistics Office for 2014 show that 82% of women in the accommodation and food service sector earned less than €400 per week, as opposed to 66% of men. Some 63% of women in retail earned less than €400 per week, as opposed to 40% of men. In the area of health, 34% of women earned less than €400 per week, as opposed to 21% of men. There is a gap in wages across every single sector and society.

It is laudable that the CSO is examining the matter on a sectoral basis, but moving towards a solution requires us to take the obvious next step, move past a sectoral approach and examine the detail of companies. That is how we will address these kinds of sectoral gaps. I am sure IHREC may choose to prioritise those sectors where the gap is widest. This is where companies need to start being accountable.

I recognise that the Government is allowing the Bill to proceed to Committee Stage, but I ask it to be enthusiastic about it. It is a tool which will allow us to identify where the gaps are. It is a very practical and nuanced tool. I do not believe it breaches privacy in any sense because it refers to the median across an organisation.

I welcome that the Bill addresses the question of bonus pay. We do not want wages being equalised, but then have a culture where bonuses are only going to a select few on a regular basis.

Concerns were expressed about section 1(4)(f) in terms of potential identifiability, which could be addressed very easily.I do not think it is something that should delay the Bill from coming back to us very soon. There is no guarantee as to when it would come back. I see these as extraordinarily mild amendments. We do not need consultation. The gender pay gap has been with us for an extraordinarily long time. Whether we want to tackle the gender pay gap is not really a matter that is up for question. It is not clear what consultation of great depth is needed, except on the actual detailed provisions of the legislation, which we can deal with through amendments. With regard to consultation between employers and others, I do not see why the Government needs to go back to the drawing board. We know there is inequality, and the Government has put it in the programme for Government. If it is serious about delivering on it, it will need to follow through and take action.

Other issues have been addressed, such as our leave policies. If we introduce parental leave, which I believe we should, it should be in addition to maternity and paternity leave. There are questions of child care. There are also questions, which company information will tease out, on experiences of re-entry to the workplace, people's experiences of parking and whether people are given opportunities to progress after an absence of a year or two years from the workplace. There are also questions about flexible work as opposed to precarious work, and tackling precarious work which affects women most severely.

Of course the knock-on effect of the gender pay gap is the gender pension gap. In Ireland this has risen from 35% to 37%. We have heard about the marriage bar as a great crime of the past. The marriage bar is still with us today. Older women in Ireland experience it every single week in their reduced pension and the averaging system which, it has been acknowledged, specifically discriminates against them. This is an area where the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, has not yet stepped up to take action. I hope he does so in the next budget because it is an area of deep inequality, which is awaiting action. We know the actions that need to be taken and the only justification we have been given is a reluctance in terms of cost. Reluctance in terms of cost should never stand in the way of equality.

I very much commend the Bill, which is very important. I would like to see it back in the House before the summer. We certainly need to see it early in the new session. We should see through. This is legislation is simple and effective and could deliver real results and send a real signal. I urge the Government, as others have, not to park it but to carry it forward. I suggest a further carrot, which could be considered. Companies which engage and comply could be considered more preferentially in terms of public procurement contracts. The State may wish to prefer to support those companies which have a positive equality record in the delivery of public contracts.