Wage parity progressing steadily
The salary equity file for CHU Sainte-Justine, a prominent healthcare institution in Canada, is currently under evaluation by the CNESST. This issue, which dates back to December 18, 2008, concerns the research center staff at the hospital, who are predominantly female and hold high qualifications.
According to the Alliance of Public Service Unions of Canada (AFPC-Quebec), researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine earned between the minimum wage and $46 per hour in 2008, with about 60% holding a master's degree or doctorate. The union claims that CHU Sainte-Justine owes tens of thousands of dollars per person in salary equity to its research center staff, amounting to millions of dollars in total.
AFPC-Quebec is pressing CHU to resolve the salary equity issue and is currently in negotiations to renew its collective agreement. Quebec Solidaire finds the injustice suffered by the research professionals at CHU Sainte-Justine "unacceptable," and Ruba Ghazal, parliamentary leader of Quebec Solidaire, has requested CHU to "discuss and negotiate in good faith" to reach an agreement.
The Loi sur l'équité salariale, adopted in 1996, applies to enterprises with 10 or more employees, regardless of their type. Institutions like CHU Sainte-Justine usually undertake salary reviews and audits to identify disparities, implement equity-focused policies and leadership accountability, and engage in regular transparency reporting on pay and promotions by gender. They may also partner with external experts or task forces to recommend actionable steps.
Despite these efforts, the salary equity process for the research center staff at CHU Sainte-Justine began in 2017, but the first step (identifying job categories) has not been completed, according to the union. A mediation process for the salary equity file was conducted from June to December 2024, but it was unsuccessful. CHU Sainte-Justine claims the salary equity file is "complex."
The Alliance of Public Service Unions of Canada accuses CHU Sainte-Justine of laxity and a lack of will in addressing salary equity for its research center staff. The institution assures that its teams are committed to participating in the process in good faith and responding promptly to the union's requests and those of the CNESST.
Wage equity is defined as the right of an individual to receive a wage equal to that of another person holding an equivalent job in the same company, helping to reduce wage gaps between typically female jobs and typically male jobs. The CNESST is involved in the salary equity process for CHU Sainte-Justine.
If more precise or recent information about CHU Sainte-Justine’s actions to address salary equity at the institutional level is required, additional targeted research or direct inquiry to the institution may be necessary.
- The current evaluation by the CNESST of the salary equity file for CHU Sainte-Justine involves a predominantly female research staff with high qualifications who were earning between minimum wage and $46 per hour in 2008.
- Injustice suffered by the research professionals at CHU Sainte-Justine was labelled "unacceptable" by Quebec Solidaire, and the institution has been urged to negotiate in good faith to resolve the salary equity issue.
- The Loi sur l'équité salariale, dating back to 1996, requires institutions like CHU Sainte-Justine to address salary equity, implement equity-focused policies, and engage in regular transparency reporting by gender.
- The Alliance of Public Service Unions of Canada accuses CHU Sainte-Justine of laxity and a lack of will in addressing salary equity for its research center staff who may be owed tens of thousands of dollars in salary equity per person, amounting to millions of dollars in total.
- Despite undergoing a mediation process for the salary equity file from June to December 2024, CHU Sainte-Justine claims the process is "complex," and has not yet completed the first step, identifying job categories, as of 2021.
- Wellness initiatives, such as those related to mental health and healthcare, and policy and legislation regarding women's health, crime and justice, science, and Medicare, may also be relevant topics in the general news and politics, in addition to the salary equity issue at CHU Sainte-Justine.
