Equity provision equal-pay for work of equal-value implementation within South African State-Owned Enterprise (SOE)

Abstract

Purpose of the research: The purpose of the study is to determine how a state-owned enterprise in South Africa deploys equal pay for work of equal value. The research setting and environment where the investigation takes place are located in a state-owned enterprise (SOE) called ZYD. Research methodology: An inductive research approach is used with qualitative research for primary data and for secondary numeric data. The research includes a population sample of eight participants who are involved in the primary research data collection. In addition, a company finance report is analysed for the secondary data collection. Equally, some qualitative primary research data are analysed quantitatively in order to make sense of the data (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2012:165). Results/findings:The study confirms that implementing equal pay has a financial implication attached to it, insignificant as it is. Uncoordinated confirmations for promoting equal pay exist. Lack of a comprehensive approach to equal pay encompasses the majority concerns. The study shows how important it is for the organisation to have all essential pillars in place and in sync with one another, which lagged in this case. With the essential pillars in place and in sync, a robust pay equity system/model, which is supported by policy, will be leveraged and initiated as a business imperative, promoting open communication and empowerment about equal pay (Bradshaw, et al., 2017:3). Vignettes have been constructed and highlighted in order to bring alive the participants’ voices within the researcher’s interpretations of meaning. Practical implications and Conclusions: South African researchers and researchers across the globe have shown little interest to explore the racial pay discrimination situation; they have constantly researched gender-based pay inequity instead. This should be reason enough to have future research studies focusing on pay equity irrespective of race, gender or disability.