Gender Pay Gap Shock Increase

Responding to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings published recently, which shows that the full-time gender pay gap has increased to 17.1 per cent and the part-time gender pay gap to 36.6 per cent, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'Today's shock increase in the gender pay gap shows makes the case for decisive action more pressing than ever.

'This is an injustice for both women and men. As redundancies mount, more women may find themselves as the sole or main income earner. It's more important than ever that they are not underpaid for what they do.

'The pay gap is even wider in the private sector at 21.7 per cent. And research shows that private sector companies are much less willing to check their pay systems to make sure they are paying women fairly.

'The link between fair pay and checking pay systems is clear. The case for mandatory pay audits is stronger than ever.'