Newfoundland and Labrador passes Pay Equity and Pay Transparency Act

Late last year, the Newfoundland and Labrador Government passed Bill P-3.02 – An Act Respecting Pay Equity for the Public Sector and Pay Transparency for the Public and Private Sectors. Of interest to RCC members, this Act will increase the accountability of the public and private sectors related to pay transparency.

The pay transparency sections of the Act have yet to come into force. Regulations will be developed over the course of this year which will include a commencement date for this section of the Act. Once enacted, employers will be prohibited from asking about an applicant’s pay history or seeking pay history about a job applicant unless the pay history is publicly available and/or the applicant voluntarily (and without prompting) discloses such information; reprisals against employees who ask about or share their pay information and reprisals against employees who make inquiries about pay transparency reports. RCC will provide updates once the regulations are approved.