Men working full-time are twice as likely to earn more than £50,000 a year as full-time women, according to new TUC analysis of official figures published to mark Equal Pay Day.
Equal Pay Day, on 4 November, marks the point at which women working full-time effectively stop earning because they are paid £5,200 (15.7 per cent) less per year, on average, than men working full-time. Last year, Equal Pay Day fell on November 7 but has moved forward three days as gender pay gap has grown.
The TUC said its analysis showed that that just one in 15 women working full-time earned more than £50,000 a year, compared to one in seven men, and even in sectors where women were well-represented, such as education, they still earned far less than men.
Women working full-time as senior education professionals earn over £13,000 (22.3 per cent) a year less, on average, than their male peers despite dominating the profession.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Four decades on from the Equal Pay Act women are still losing out on pay and career opportunities.
“It feels like the glass ceiling is getting stronger not weaker and we need a much tougher approach to stop future generations of women from suffering this pay penalty. Companies must be held more accountable for how they pay their staff and made to publish information.”
New regulations that took effect on 1 October 2014 mean that businesses found to have breached equal pay law at an employment tribunal hearing will have to submit an equal pay audit to the tribunal that analyses their pay structures and include a plan to avoid equal pay breaches occurring or continuing. Businesses may also be required to publish the audit findings.
Failure to comply with the audit requirement could result in a penalty of up to £5,000 and further penalties of up to £5,000 a time if the business continues to fail to produce the audit, with no limit to the number of penalties that can be levied. Some businesses are exempt from the rules, such as those with fewer than ten employees or are less than 12 months old.
Lara Murray, associate solicitor in Palmers’ Employment Law team, said: “Employers are legally required to give male and female employees the same employment terms and conditions if they do work that is the same or broadly similar or of equal value in terms of effort, skill or decision-making.
“If the employee and employer cannot resolve an equal pay issue informally or through a formal grievance procedure, the employee can take their case to an employment tribunal, while still working in the job or up to six months afterwards.
“Employees dealing with an equal pay issue may find it helpful to access expert legal advice and although the cost may be a concern, many household or car insurance policies include legal expenses cover to assist with funding their case. For more information, please contact our Employment Law team.”