The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour wants to see the province go back to the drawing board on many aspects of its pay equity legislation.

The legislation related to pay equity officially came into force on April 1st, but a second piece on pay transparency is not yet in effect.

Federation President Jessica McCormick contends that the legislation as it stands is inadequate, noting that many key stakeholders were not consulted.

She highlights several things missing from the regulations and that the legislation only covers women in the public sector, and it does not cover women who work in female dominated jobs.

McCormick says in those fields there is no male comparator in the workplace to ensure there is equal pay for equal work. She states that other jurisdictions have provisions to have an external comparator to ensure equal pay.

Elsewhere, she says other provinces have provisions requiring trade unions to be at the table, and there’s no reference to factors that lead to a wage gap for marginalized groups of women.