The Tel Aviv District Labor Court has ruled that Home Center DIY discriminated between men and women in pay.
The court ruled on a lawsuit filed by Orit Goren, who worked as an advisor for tools at the Home Center store in Ramat Gan. Goren was paid NIS 17 per hour, and discovered that a colleague working as an advisor for housewares in the same store was earning NIS 26 per hour. Goren said she resigned after four months because her questions to her employer were not answered.
In her lawsuit, Goren claimed that Home Center violated the equal opportunities law by paying a male colleague more than it paid her for the same job. Home Center claimed that Goren's salary of NIS 3,500 a month was determined in accordance with her demands.
Judge Meir Nachtomy rejected Home Center's argument, saying, "It seems to us that the attempt to hide behind the employee's salary demands is an attempt at evasion and should be rejected. It is the employer who ultimately decides the salary. The equal salaries law stipulates that employers may not discriminate between men and women, and requires employers to avoid a situation in which such discrimination can occur."
The court ruled that since Home Center had violated the equal opportunities law, it must pay Goren NIS 14,000 for the wage differential and compensation.
The court found that Home Center had shown that no policy of discrimination was followed in its other branches.
Eliezer Fishman, who controls Home Center, is one of the owners of "Globes".
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on February 10, 2004