EQUAL PAY FOR SIMILAR WORK

A printable PDF version of this information sheet is available.

Alberta’s Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act requires that employers not discriminate on the basis of gender.

The Act specifically ensures that men and women working in the same establishment and performing "similar or substantially similar work" must be paid at the same rate. Any pay differentials must be based on factors other than gender.

Job descriptions or classifications should reflect the total expectations of a position. In Alberta, different job descriptions for two similar positions do not legally justify a pay differential because one job is held by a man and the other by a woman. It is also illegal for employers to reduce a rate of pay to equalize pay rates between women and men.

Employers are entitled to pay employees different rates of pay based on factors such as experience, education and merit. These factors should be assessed objectively and applied consistently regardless of gender.

In Alberta, it is the employer who is responsible for ensuring non-discriminatory employment practices. The employer must ensure that employees are hired, promoted, paid or dismissed according to objective guidelines, applied equally to both sexes.

Please note: A complaint must be made to the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission within one year after the alleged incident.

Contact the Commission

October 2002