2 Ireland is 11th in EU equal pay rankings


(from page 1) Michelle Stanistreet talked about the gender pay


gap in the BBC and other inequality issues such as “the dearth of black faces on our screens” and the need to secure fair and decent contracts for members. She said it was a brilliant opportunity to get more


trade union activists involved in these issues. The legal and equality officer for the NUJ,


Natasha Morris, advised on how people could go about making a claim for equal pay. In the UK, it must be made within six months of becoming


aware of the pay gap and if successful, back pay of up to six years can be awarded. Esther Lynch, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), outlined ongoing battles involving legislation to introduce four months parental leave — she said employers were “going ballistic” over that proposal. She suggested it was maybe time to insist that men took mandatory parental leave. Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, RTÉ broadcaster, who


chaired the event, said there was a great appetite among her colleagues to narrow the gender pay gap in RTE.


Union to undertake audit of low pay in regionals


A call has been made to address the issue of low pay being forced on journalists, especially those starting out


in the regional sector. Carol Byrne, a journalist in the


Clare Champion and the delegate for the Irish South West Branch, proposed that the union organise a wage audit in the provinces. Carol told the conference that


p a y d e a l s s u c c e s s f u l l y negotiated in chapels around the country had eroded since the recession. "Overtime was bought out,


pay cuts were taken and people lost their jobs. Throughout those difficult times managements have hidden behind excuses like inability to pay, and throw away remarks such as 'you're lucky to have a job’ and 'no one is making money’,” she said. “During that period we have


been upskilling to become masters of the digital media sphere, we have continued to meet deadlines with increased


responsibilities with less staff for no additional pay and we have encountered more stress in the workplace. "There's no doubt many of us


are downtrodden and bewildered. But there has to be an end to it, and we have to l o o k t o b e i n g p r o p e r l y compensated for the work we do and the additional work loads we have taken on. “We all would like more


money and fair compensation and we in Irish South West feel it is important for chapels to know the industry standards so when the time is right for them to address pay, they can lodge a realistic pay claim. "With that in mind, we believe


a pay survey should be conducted to better inform the union and chapels on where they stand in the pay divide. Such an exercise would also help address any potential gender pay gaps that exist. As the economy begins to pick up, now is the time to lodge pay


claims, to say enough is enough. "I'm the MOC at The Clare


Champion and we have had enough, we are not interested in the ‘you're lucky to have a job’ argument anymore, because who wants to be in an under resourced newsroom, working unsociable hours under time pressures when you are poorly paid. “We eager l y awai t the


company accounts every year to see if there are any green shoots and this year at the sight of a healthy balance sheet we drafted and lodged a pay claim. "Organiser Ian McGuinness


has been with us on this from the get-go and has helped us push this to conciliation, but due to a lack of engagement by the company we are taking it to the WRC. We are in a stalemate situation currently, but watch this space.” The motion urging the


undertaking of a wage audit was passed unopposed.


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