The Employer applied to the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal objecting to a Review Officer's order that found three female job classes (Packer, Packaging Machine Operator B, and Sample Room) were of equal or comparable value to three male job classes (Dough Feeder, Janitor, and Receiver).
The Employer alleged the Union failed to bargain in good faith by rejecting the initial joint evaluations, while the Union alleged the Employer intimidated female committee members.
The Tribunal dismissed both preliminary allegations.
On the merits, the Tribunal found that the joint committee's collection of job information was incomplete and its application of the evaluation system was not gender-neutral, as it failed to consistently value skills and effort characteristic of women's work, such as manual dexterity, visual concentration, and multi-tasking.
Applying the evaluation tool to the corrected job information, the Tribunal upheld the Review Officer's findings that the female job classes were of equal or comparable value to the male job classes and ordered the parties to negotiate a pay equity adjustment schedule.