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Se Fs ee MPP McLean: Pay equity has more merits Pay equity, or "equal pay for work of equal value," (not to be confused with equal pay for equal work legislation which has been in effect for a number of~ years now) has been in- troduced by the Liberal Government, first for the public sector (Bill 105), and then this is to be followed by similar legislation for the private sector. Equal value would com- pare dissimilar jobs within an organization' based on knowledge and _ skill, responsibility, required ef- fort and accountability, and working conditions, and entitle women who are found to be doing work of comparable value to that of men to have their pay rais- ed to the level of males. The proponents of pay equity say that many jobs have become known as "'women's work" and that this women's work has traditionally been under- valued. A gap between the average male and female wage is estimated to be about 38 per cent, accor- ding to the Green Paper on Pay Equity, although more recent statistics are show- ing that women now earn about 83 per cent when based on the number of hours worked in a full year. Supporters of pay equity feel that regardless of its costs, which the Green Paper puts at around $3 billion (some economists say as high as $5 billion), maintaining the status quo can be equally expensive because of the increasing feminization of poverty. They say that women and their families are bearing the cost of unequal pay right now and that's the cost our country can ill af- ford. And they add that unequal pay for women is still an item of glaring discrimination in our society which prides itself on its fair treatment of all citizens. Proponents, in defence of arguments that pay equi- ty will be difficult to imple- ment, point out that many employers already use job evaluation systems to set wages and so adapting to the requirements of pay equity should be relatively simple. Critics of pay equity argue that women often choose less demanding jobs that offer clean, com- fortable surroundings and provide opportunities for part-time and flexible work schedules, and permit easy exit and re-entry because of family responsibilities, What's--on_Watt by Laurie Watt Moving from Ottawa to Penetanguishene has demanded some major ad- justments. Saturday, get- ting ready for a major shopping binge, I faced the biggest obstacle I had yet to face. I went to university in Ottawa, and it was during those four formative years I learned to manage, or mismanage, my financial affairs. A very vital part of my life was the Bank of Nova Scotia's- Cashtop machine. Rumour has it that Carleton University had the busiest machine in Canada, and soon after a second was installed. This machine became my lifeline. Ottawa had a machine on almost every corner, so if I overspent, it didn't real- ly matter, since I could get more money and continue my spending. It was marvellous. Then I came to work in Penetanguishene. My dependency came with me. No _ Scotiabank machine. Hmmm. Midland had two other machines, and thankfully for the In- terac Network, I had a line to my funds at any time I wished. Occasionally the machines act up. "Net- work problems. Transac- tion cancelled"' would flash across the screen. Disap- pointed, I would have to abandon my _ shoppijng spree. Last Saturday, in a mo- ment of dire need, I discovered the deposit keys on both machines didn't work. The pay cheques were late Friday, and I really didn't want to carry around my cheque; rather, I wanted to carry around lots of spendable cash. It was at 7:45 a.m. when I tried the deposit key on the Royal Bank's machine. "Key pressed is invalid. Transaction cancelled." So I crossed the street and tried to do the same thing at the Bank of Com- merce. Again, invalid key. No luck. Except for bad. So I tried to just withdraw. Starting at $80, I worked my way down to the minimum on this machine, $20. "Amount exceeds available limit." Really. Thinking this machine Was experiencing '"'net- work problems", I went back across the street to the Royal Bank. I tried to withdraw. Working my way down from $60 this time, I stopped at $10. Again, "amount exceeds available limit'. Oh sure. The troubles do not end here! With my Visa in hand, the cheque in my purse and $5 in my wallet, I went on my way. About 3:30, I tried the Toronto Dominion Green Machine. Forgetting the Green Machine didn't allow withdrawals im- mediately, unlike the Cashtop machine, I hand- ed in my pay cheque. I tried to withdraw. None would come out. I went into the bank. The teller told me the deposit must sit 24 hours before it TO ORDER CALL 322-2394 ( f FOOD & SUPPLIES AT DISCOUNT PRICES ~ HOME OELIVERY ~ ule b OS DOLLS, CARRIAGES, TEDDY BEARS, TOYS, GIFTS, ANTIQUES Shop now and we will hold until Christmas ANTEN MILLS DOLL HOSPITAL 10 Lawrence Ave., Anten Mills Phone 728-7975 can be withdrawn. Marvellous. Beaten, I gave up. About two hours later, I | MERCURY | found my beloved Cashtop. I couldn't give anything, nor did I take. As I passed, I turned my head. MLE BOURGEOIS MOTORS wars knowing full well that these positions provide the smallest earnings and associated benefits. There is an overcrowding in these "pink ghettos" which, based on market supply and demand, pushes the wages below what they might be if there was a shortage of available workers in these occupations. Critics of pay equity say that business cannot afford to artificially inflate the wages of a huge segment of the labour force and that the cost of doing so, both in terms of the actual salary increases and the associated cost of pay equi- ty implementation and maintenance, could put them out of business. Opponents of pay equity further argue that pay equi- ty will not bridge the wage gap and will ultimately be harmful to women. They fear that since equal value will cost the employer more money, instead of ad- ding these costs on to the price of his goods and ser- vices, making him less competitive, the employer will find other solutions, such as contracting out secretarial help, mechanization, and less full-time and more part- time employees. They feel that raising the wages for women's: jobs will only have a positive effect on those who will be able-to keep their jobs, which in most cases will be the credentialed middle-class women; the unskilled, uneducated women could be negatively impacted by the introduction of pay equity. And opponents of pay equity are extremely con- cerned about the unscien- tific and complex evalua- tion criteria. Tests show NOVEMBER CLEARANCE that two evaluators, using the same rating system to evaluate the same jobs on- ly arrived at the same con- clusion 50 per cent of the time. Business could be victimized by unfair judgements and be forced to spend time and money defending their position. Bill 105 will be hotly debated in the Legislature again and again, and the final outcome and makeup of the Bill is yet to be deter- mined. I believe that generally, 'it has more merits than deficits, but all the facts are not yet before us. I shall be following the debate closely, and welcome the input of the citizens of Simcoe East on this most important matter. It would take thousands of words to define the con- tents of the proposed bill, but I shall try to keep you informed of its progress. 8.9% Financing or $500. Cash Back Aerostar-- only 1 in stock! 8 Ford Tempo, 5 Mercury Topaz in stock! Standard features include: ¢ 5 speed manual transmission ¢ 2300 cc 4 cylinder engine e Front wheel drive * Aero headlights ¢ Rear window defroster e Maintenance free bat- tery © Cowl mounted hood release e Styled steel wheels ¢ High mount rear brake light. 3.9% FINANCING* OR $1,000. REBATE WE MUST CLEAR OUT THE 86's TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE 87's 8.9% Financing or $500. Cash Back Mustang - 8 left in stock! Applies only to 1986 models equipped with 2.5 litre E.F.I. engine in stock! * Maximum 10,000 for 24 months 8.9% Financing or $500. Cash Back 7 Full Size Pickups In Stock! Ford 8.9% Financing or $500. Cash Back 7 Escort/Lynx in stock! 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