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Firms forced to publish pay gap

13 February 2016

By Lauren E. White

Plans revealed by Women and Equalities Minister Nicky Morgan will force companies to publish the pay differences between male and female colleagues.

In a bid to enforce equal pay, companies with more than 250 employees will have to reveal their pay gap and those who fail to address pay differences will be highlighted in new league tables.

After the Labour Party pitched the first Equal Pay Act in their 1959 manifesto, the latest figures still prove a pay gap between the genders. The figures suggest that women in the UK are earning on average 20% less than men despite doing the same work – something that Morgan has condemned, saying that there is “nowhere for gender inequality to hide”.

Calculations of the pay gap must begin in April 2017, twelve months ahead of the publishing of the first league tables and will affect about 8,000 employers in the UK.

Speaking of the new plans announced on Friday, Ms Morgan said: “I’m calling on women across Britain to use their position as employees and consumers to demand more from businesses, ensuring their talents are given the recognition and reward they deserve”.

 

Photo credit: Robert Neubecker

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