MPs have voted on a bill to require greater pay transparency by large companies which, although symbolic at this stage as the bill would need Government backing in order to become law, it does put the issue firmly on the map and demonstrates the level of support there is.
Denise Keating, chief executive of the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) said: “Enei Members are already calling for the pay gap to be addressed in our Manifesto, and with only 5 companies in the UK voluntarily reporting their gender pay gap despite the best efforts of the Government Equalities Office and the Think Act Report campaign, it is clear that further action must be taken.
“Regrettably, the current government initiative lacks the power to enforce accountability, and was doomed to failure without active engagement from those who have signed up. This reinforces the need for the Government to engage with employers and understand exactly why employers are so reluctant to disclose their gender pay gap figures.
“Although ONS figures show that the gender pay gap is closing, accelerating the pace of change will require both employer buy-in and legislation with teeth to force poor practice into the open. 270 companies have signed up to Think Act Report, enabling them to claim to be taking action in reducing the gender pay gap without publishing any evidence. However, only five companies have actually done anything.”
