The gender pay gap set to be exposed
In a move which could cost the business arena millions of pounds in additional payments, not to mention potential compensation claims, Harriet Harman is set to announce the government's Equality Bill on Monday. While the popular press have presented this as a men and women pay gap debate it is very much more than this and will take into account age, social background and an array of other elements.
The Conservative party has already labelled the plans "class war attacks" and business leaders are seriously concerned about the short to medium term implications of the bill at a time when many businesses in the UK are struggling to make ends meet. This is just the latest in a number of employment laws introduced by the UK government and while many of these changes are required there is some debate as to whether the timing is correct.
One factor which says it all relates to the fact that women in the UK still earn on average around 23% less per hour than their male counterparts even though the Equal Pay Act was introduced some 40 years ago. This is just one statistic which has prompted the move by the government although the short to medium term implications are uncertain at this moment in time.
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