Companies who fail to share gender pay gaps must face serious consequences – Byrne

Irish companies who fail to publish information on gender pay gaps, as per a requirement which came into operation in May 2022, should face serious consequences, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Finance, Senator Maria Byrne, welcomed results published last month but maintained that a number of big corporates are failing to uphold their legal responsibility and didn’t share any information.

Senator Byrne said: “We have made meaningful progress on achieving parity in representation across businesses in this country. This new requirement is a crucial step towards closing the gap.

“By not engaging, these companies are completely undermining that work and resisting positive change.

“The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 puts the onus on companies with over 250 employees to conduct gender pay disparity reports in an effort to offer full transparency and foster inclusive working environments.

“Early research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) yielded positive results and revealed that several big employers have reported a gender pay gap of zero or near zero per cent. However, non-engagement is a step backwards.

“Having holes in your report is one thing, not having any report at all is another. Research from the Irish Independent highlighted a lack of data for up to 100 firms. This is simply unacceptable.

“These companies, some of them large employers, missed the deadline and will be told to publish their reports via court orders and based on complaints to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

“Going forward, it is fundamental that companies face drastic measures to discourage any further delays. It is not only our right to know but more importantly, it hinders progress,” concluded Senator Byrne