Equal Pay Rights for Women in the UK - act now before it is too late
Low salary compensation - know your rights to equal pay compensation
It is an unfortunate fact that there is an ever present gap between the salaries paid to men compared to women in the UK. Despite long standing legislation in the form of the Equal Pay Act 1970, many employers and Unions have been slow to embrace the ethos and level the playing field.
In the UK the gulf in wages is thought to be around 18-20% which means that a woman might expect to earn on average 80-82p for every £1 earned by a fellow male worker.
This disparity may be fully justified in some instances however in many cases it is simply a legacy of poor and unequal managerial practices. To illustrate the gap further, over the course of a 30-30 year career a woman might earn up to £100,000 less than a man for doing the same job.
The Equal Pay Act has been law since 1970, however many Unions have been criticised for failing to promote the interests of their members and open negotiations with employers that would lead to a fairer salary system in many workplaces. Progress has been made by some Unions but there is still plenty of ground to make up in many organisations.
The key points within the legislation are:
The Act aims to eliminate discrimination between men and women in terms of their pay and contracts of employment where they are doing:
- work that is the same or broadly similar;
- work rated as equivalent under a job evaluation study;
- work of equal value in terms of the demands made on them under headings such as effort, skill and decision-making
The Equal Pay Act 1970 implies an equality clause into a contract of employment. This means that you have the right to be paid the same as a worker of the opposite sex provided the above criteria is in place.
You are also entitled to equal terms and conditions with a person of the opposite sex in a comparable job.
Low pay for women compensation solicitors will be able to assist you with a case against the employer if you feel that your salary level has been prejudiced unfairly. Please contact us to discuss your case. You may be entitled to take your low pay compensation claim to an Employment Tribunal. Call free on 0800 0322210 and speak to a solicitor today.
Martin Nolan is a legal marketer working with compensation claim solicitors in the uk.