Breaking news

Under Iceland’s new equal pay law employers must prove compliance or face fines

Gender-based wage discrimination has long been illegal in Iceland, as it is in many countries around the world. But the gender pay gap persists. Under the Equal Pay Standard law which came into effect on January 1, employers now must prove that they are paying equal wages for the same work or work of equal value, and can be fined for non-compliance.

The law requires all companies with 25 or more full-time employees to obtain an equal pay certificate every three years based on guidelines jointly elaborated by the union confederation, employers and the labor and finance ministries. Companies must not only demonstrate that they have analyzed their pay structures, but that they have formalized in practice the process of ensuring non-discrimination. Employers who fail to comply face accumulating daily fines.

Experts from the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and the Working Group on the Issue of Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice welcomed the legislation as an example of “The critical role that States can and must play in employing innovative tools to ensure that businesses respect the human rights of women”, adding that “Iceland’s action is in line with its international human rights obligations.”

Source

Disclaimer: All third-party opinions expressed via IASWI accounts linked to and from this page are those of the individuals concerned and do not necessarily represent those of IASWI or its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended nor implied. To discuss this disclaimer or the removal of appropriate credit for materials of which you hold copyright please contact us. All the third party videos and contents found on workers-iran.org is not hosted on our servers; all third party videos or contents are hosted on a third party site. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and news sources on the www.workers-iran.org do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the IASWI or official policies of the IASWI. These posts are only generated for the purpose of information sharing on the labour related issues.

Leave a Reply