PSAC - Pay Equity - Bulletin No. 35

In public statements such as "You can’t compare the work of clerks and secretaries with the work of professionals like auditors, lawyers and computer analysts" (Ottawa Citizen, February 1, 1999), Treasury Board challenges the results of the joint equal pay study. They lost that challenge in 1996 when the Human Rights Tribunal ruled those results were reliable. In the joint study, a wide variety of jobs were compared to each other using a universal job evaluation plan. Joint union-management committees reached consensus on all point ratings assigned. A very small number of entry level "professional" jobs were rated at the same point value as some senior clerical jobs. Those few jobs have a minimal impact on determining the wage gap when the methodology ordered by the Tribunal in 1998 is applied. Nevertheless, comparing different work which is of equal value is what equal pay for work of equal value is all about.

The study did find overlap between senior clerical jobs and almost all computer analysts at levels 1 and 2. They are, in fact, natural comparators.

The chart below explains why some clerical and professional jobs were rated at the same point value. As you will see some workers in the CR group already earn salaries which are quite comparable to those at the entry level of the professional groups: Lawyers (LA), Auditors (AU) and Economists (ES). It appears Treasury Board as employer has no idea of the nature of the work its employees do.

		Annual Salary (max) 1992	Summary of Duties			Annual Salary (max) 1992	Summary of Duties
CR 05	288	$32,128	Audit the operations of CFB Trenton to ensure that DND policies and procedures are being followed.	AU 01	287	$43,323	Audit books and records of individuals and corporations to determine correct income tax.
CR 05	276	$32,128	Direct and coordinate a typesetting operation that designs and produces artwork for plate-making and printing reproduction which services 4 departments producing publications for Canada and abroad to promote various programs.	ES 03	274	$48,210	Review content and quality of provincial employment data, produce a quarterly publication on this data, and develop a quality control system for input data.
CR 05	238	$32,128	Supervise a reception and enquiry unit of a Canada Employment Centre, deal directly with difficult clients and other government departments, and administer all functions of job creation projects.	ES 02	239	$40,059	Conduct research and studies on labour market problems in the district.
CR 06	276	$34,615	Supervise a staff of 46 working in 6 decentralised registries, including responsibility for training and staffing.	ES 01	282	$37,028	Compile, estimate, review and analyse statistical data on non-residential construction and renovation.
CR 07	276	$40,509	Administer, through 2 subordinate supervisors and a staff of up to 26, units which produce statistics for regional management and code all claims for payment.	ES 02	282	$40,059	Administer a data base on TV and radio in Canada, design and produce analytical studies and reports on this data for public release by Statistics Canada.
CR 04	282	$28,301	Conduct legal and labour relations research to assist an administrative tribunal in the preparation of decisions and speeches.	LA 01	291	$54,300	Conduct research and prepare memoranda and correspondence on legal questions, primarily with respect to Canada Student Loans.
CR 06	302	$34,615	Manage the offices (in 2 different cities) of the Canadian Embassy, South Africa, including the financial, property, material , personnel and records programmes, and the supervision of a staff of 6.	LA 01	283	$54,300	Manage the Access to Information and Privacy Office of the department, conduct legal research, write memoranda and speeches.

Does Marcel Massé know what effect the Universal Classification Standard (UCS) will have on the public service - all indications are that he doesn’t.

The UCS Classification system will be applied to all public service work whether requiring professional, non-professional, university, or trade certificate qualifications. This means that the same job evaluation system will apply to many different occupations. All positions will be valued using the same evaluation plan. Jobs with the same value, whether different or not, will receive the same pay. This is the law and it’s fair and non-discriminatory. UCS will achieve the exact results that Massé is appealing to the courts to prevent in the pay equity case.

Sooner or later, public service pay systems will be consistent for both men and women. Marcel Massé is wasting his breath and our money fighting this issue the way he is now.