Usdaw calls for further substantial increases in minimum wage rates to help close the gender pay gap

Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Low-paid and insecure work is a problem that holds back economic growth and affects the well-being of the workforce, particularly women workers. We welcomed this year’s substantial increase in minimum wage rates, which helps close the gap because women are more likely to be in low-paid work, and we call on the Chancellor to announce next week further increases to help those struggling to make ends meet in a cost of living crisis.

“Labour is also taking specific action to close the gender pay gap in the Employment Rights Bill, which will introduce mandatory gender pay gap action plans and pay transparency measures, with a new equal pay regulatory and enforcement unit that involves trade unions. Alongside that, the Government’s Equality (Race and Disability) Bill seeks to extend the existing equal pay framework to ethnicity and disability.

“These measures are the change that Usdaw campaigned for, the country voted for and Labour is now delivering in Government. They aim to strengthen existing legislation and provide a more robust framework for achieving equal pay and transparency across the UK workforce. Today we recognise that the gender pay gap is closing, but it is closing too slowly. It is our hope that the pace will now increase, as we continue to work towards genuine equality in the workplace.”