Kmflett's Blog

50 Years of the Equal Pay Act: Changes to the law needed but workplace organisation key

Its 50 years since the Equal Pay Act passed into law.

There is a useful House of Commons briefing here:

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/economy-business/work-incomes/50-years-of-the-equal-pay-act/?utm_source=HOC+Library+-+Research+alerts&utm_campaign=651730512b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_29_08_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a9da1c9b17-651730512b-103753485&mc_cid=651730512b&mc_eid=cbbdc8d1a9

Keir Starmer tweeted that the Act underlined what a Labour Government could do, it was one of the last Acts of the 1966-70 Wilson Government. It didn’t come into effect until 1975 when Wilson was again PM. Starmer also noted that the law needs updating and he is right.

There remains a significant gender pay gap in the UK (not all of which is directly pay related-occupation for example also features) not to speak of a gender pension gap as a result.

The Commons Library briefing notes that the 1970 Act taken through Parliament by Barbara Castle related to the 1968 strike by women workers at Fords for equal pay. The dispute was a little more complex than that (as they often are) but there is no question that industrial conflict led to political change.

What the briefing doesn’t cover is the role that unions continue to play around equal pay.

An interesting TUC briefing on equal pay, key workers and coronavirus is here:

https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/coronavirus-shows-working-women-are-still-underpaid-and-undervalued-says-tuc

While the law is important in equal pay, the process is slow and certainly cant be relied on.

As trade union officer in the private sector I have dealt with equal pay issues over many years. Sorting out matters at the grassroots is complex too and making progress with employers on issues around equality and equal pay requires sustained organisation and campaigning.

Below is a link that a sadly late union colleague Aveen McHugh wrote in 2014 about efforts in the telecoms sector to do just that:

https://strongerunions.org/2014/04/06/the-role-unions-can-play-in-closing-the-gender-pay-gap-in-the-private-sector/

It remains work in progress and gains made in one generation can easily disappear in another. That’s where the benchmark of law is important but there is no substitute for effective workplace organisation.