ARTICLE · 27 MARCH 2018

New Proposed Legislation On Gender Pay Reporting

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart

Explore more from Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart

On October 25, 2017, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill passed the Committee Stage of the Irish Senate.

IrelandEmployment and HR

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Co-authored by Catherine O'Flynn and Richard Smith of William Fry

On October 25, 2017, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill passed the Committee Stage of the Irish Senate. The bill seeks to improve upon the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act, 1974 and to close the existing pay gap between men and women in Ireland which, according to the most recent published figures, is 13.9 percent. The average pay gap across the European Union is 16.7 percent.

The bill contains provisions for increased monitoring and publication of gender pay gap data and is provisionally enforced by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

If passed, the IHREC, which already has the power to require an employer to carry out equality reviews, would be given the power to prepare a scheme requiring companies with 50 employees or more to publish the results of such a review. Failure to comply could lead to a fine of up to €5,000 (USD 6,102: GBP

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