The Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill passed its third reading last week. The Act is going to come into force the day after it is granted Royal Assent. This typically happens within a short period, often within days of the third reading. This means the changes are imminent.
What this means for you:
- Employees will soon have legal protection to discuss their pay with colleagues
- You won't be able to take action against staff for sharing pay information, even if you have confidentiality clauses
- This could help identify pay gaps, but may also create workplace tensions if not handled well
Our recommendation: Start preparing now by checking your pay rates, structures and review processes for fairness and consistency. Get in touch with our HR Consultant Louise Gregory for any help with your pay practices or review of pay rates.