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Gender pay gap 'to be tackled by Equality Bill'

03 December 2008

Discrimination legislation and the gender pay gap will be strengthened by a new Equality Bill, the government reveals.

Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, says that the bill will replace nine major laws and 100 other regulations to make Britain fairer.

Businesses will become more aware of their rights and obligations, which shall include a new equality duty.

This, the government states, demand that public bodies become more aware of how their spending decisions and employment practices affect employees, regardless of their gender, disability or race.

Secrecy clauses will also be banned, which means workers can compare their wages with other members of staff and confront their employers if discrepancies are apparent.

It was also announced that the Equality and Human Rights Commission is to conduct research into the country's pay gap, starting with the financial services sector.

Earlier this year, the Government Equalities Office revealed that the mean average gap of full-time pay between the genders was 17.2 per cent.