Is equal pay too far in a recession?

Equality South West is calling for employers to reveal how much more they pay men than women.

Apparently, Nicola Brewer, outgoing chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is quoted as saying “equal pay is a step too far in a recession”.

Jackie Longworth, chair of Equality South West, told the PRSD: “Some employers might try to use the recession as an excuse to save money by continuing to pay women less than men, but we think the recession is the best time to push for pay equality.

“Economists tell us a fiscal stimulant will help us out of the recession, so what better way to increase the amount of money in circulation by paying women the same amount as men?”

“We believe there should be mandatory requirements for equal pay audits for all employers and strict timescales for implementing any actions needed to remove inequalities in pay.

“For too long women have been segregated into lower paid and undervalued work and have been paid less than men for similar work; it’s time we took firm action to eliminate the gender pay gap which keeps women and children below the poverty line… and the recession is as good a time as any.”

posted by Cptn

• From our experience there is sexism in the South West workplace. Has anyone else had experiences of sexism at work?

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