Up to 1,500 businesses missed the deadline on gender pay gap reporting
Some 1,500 businesses missed yesterday’s deadline to report their figures on the gender pay gap, the law and equalities commission has said.
The commission, which enforces the reporting, said it would start sending out letters to the businesses in question on Monday, in which it will give them 28 days to explain why they had missed the deadline and what steps are being taken to comply with the reporting requirements.
Any businesses that do not respond within that timeframe will be investigated and named and shamed, the commission said.
Britain’s largest union, Unite, was one of the organisations that failed to file on time, publishing its data today.
The data revealed that women’s mean hourly rate is 19.8 per cent lower than men’s, meaning women earn 80p for every £1 that men earn.
Women’s median hourly rate is 29.6 per cent lower than men’s, which translates as women earning 70p for every £1 that men earn.
Gerard Coyne, who challenged Len McCluskey to the leadership, said he was “embarrassed” by the pay gap.
I’m embarrassed to learn that for every £1 Unite pays men, women receive 70p. This is completely unjustifiable. Unite rightly berates others who fail on equal pay & will continue to do so. But we must get our own house in order & set out how this shameful pay gap will be closed.— Gerard Coyne (@gerard_coyne) April 5, 2018
Meanwhile, the rail, maritime and transport union (RMT) has said it will publish its figures voluntarily. “RMT will, of its own volition, be producing an audit in due course which will be discussed with the union’s women’s advisory committee who will then decide on the next course of action,” it said.
Read more: These companies have some of the widest gender pay gaps in the UK