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New Transparency To Reveal Pay Gap
Updated:14:08, Thursday June 26, 2008
Women and ethnic minority job candidates will be given increased chances of employment under new Government plans.
What's the real pay gap?
The new Equalities Bill will also force employers to reveal salary structures to make the pay gap between men and women clearer.
Equality Minister Harriet Harman defended the positive discrimination telling Sky News there was still too much "old-fashioned" bias in the work place.
"A part-time woman still earns 40% less per hour than a man working full-time," she said. "Are women 40% less intelligent? 40% less committed?"
The minister told GMTV: "There might be controversy but you don't get progress if there isn't a bit of a push forward."
The Bill will also stop pensioners being denied NHS treatment because of their age.
Ministers to put an end to complaints from pensioners who are fobbed off by GPs and denied insurance.
Doctors will, however, still be able to refuse older patients treatment if they believe there are sound clinical reasons to do so.
Ministers hope the Bill will put ageism on a par with racism and promote a new era of openness on pay.
The Bill will also introduce rights for breastfeeding mothers to feed their babies in public.
Liberal Democrat youth and equality spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone criticised the Bill saying the Government needed to address the discrepancy between rules on pay for the public and private sector.
"Without compulsory pay audits for the private sector these proposals will represent a very real victory for the hawks in the cabinet," she said.
"Public sector equality rights are fast becoming an ivory tower that private sector employees can only dream of.
"A few tick-box questionnaires for Government suppliers on their equality policy are going to do little to change the day-to-day opportunities for the 20 million people who work in the private sector."
Updated:14:08, Thursday June 26, 2008
Women and ethnic minority job candidates will be given increased chances of employment under new Government plans.
What's the real pay gap?The new Equalities Bill will also force employers to reveal salary structures to make the pay gap between men and women clearer.
Equality Minister Harriet Harman defended the positive discrimination telling Sky News there was still too much "old-fashioned" bias in the work place.
"A part-time woman still earns 40% less per hour than a man working full-time," she said. "Are women 40% less intelligent? 40% less committed?"
The minister told GMTV: "There might be controversy but you don't get progress if there isn't a bit of a push forward."
The Bill will also stop pensioners being denied NHS treatment because of their age.
Ministers to put an end to complaints from pensioners who are fobbed off by GPs and denied insurance.
Doctors will, however, still be able to refuse older patients treatment if they believe there are sound clinical reasons to do so.
The Bill will also introduce rights for breastfeeding mothers to feed their babies in public.
Liberal Democrat youth and equality spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone criticised the Bill saying the Government needed to address the discrepancy between rules on pay for the public and private sector.
"Without compulsory pay audits for the private sector these proposals will represent a very real victory for the hawks in the cabinet," she said.
"Public sector equality rights are fast becoming an ivory tower that private sector employees can only dream of.
"A few tick-box questionnaires for Government suppliers on their equality policy are going to do little to change the day-to-day opportunities for the 20 million people who work in the private sector."
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