Women work for «free» until next year

In the two last months of the year, women work for «free» compared to men. The Socialists (SV) will introduce an «Icelandic Equal Pay Act» to close the wage gap.

On Wednesday equal pay arrangements under the auspices of the Trade Union’s in a number of places in Norway to mark that Norwegian women from about this day onwards work for «free».

In Norway, women earn NOK 87 for every 100 that a man earns, according to Statistics Norway (SSB) payroll report from Mars 8th this year.

The Socialists demand measures to bridge the pay gap.

– If we continue at the same pace as in the last eight years, we will not achieve equal pay for at least 40 more years. This amplifies that the Government lacks an active gender equality policy, says Member of Parliament, Freddy André Øvstegård, (SV) to NTB.

Demand measures

The Socialists use the action day to propose two equal pay proposals: The first is that Norway must adopt equal pay rules by the Icelandic model.

– Iceland has picked up the torch and adopted a payroll standard where companies must prove that work with equal value is paid equally, where non-compliance implies fines. We propose Iceland’s equal pay standard in Norway, Øvstegård states.

The Socialists also propose a pot for women-dominated professions in the public sector, as well as measures to increase full-time employment and to counteract a gender-divided labour market.

– We need a gender pay pot in the public sector because the biggest pay gaps today is across the labour market and not within every single business. We ask the Government to work together with the social partners on a pay rise for women in the public sector by October 1st, 2019, Øvstegård emphasises.

Shifted the burden of proof

Iceland is the first country in the world which has statutory legislation to ensure equal pay for women and men regarding work with equal value. The actual valuation is done internally at the workplace according to four criteria:

Competence
Responsibility
Effort
Work environment

Certification and control are done by external parties, and violations of the law can be punished by fines.

– With this, Iceland has shifted the burden of proof to the employer. Different pay for equal work is illegal in Norway as well, but it is up to individual employees to prove that pay differences are due to discrimination, Øvstegård concludes.