Employers may be required to publish their rates
of pay in an attempt to expose inconsistencies in the pay received
by men and women, if a proposed legislation is accepted. The
government have announced plans for the Equalities Bill, which
aims to address a number of work-based discriminations.
Firms from the public sector will have to publish the difference
between men and women’s salaries, while private sector
employers will be encouraged, but not obliged, to follow suit. The
figures will be disclosed in percentages, rather than revealing
exact sums. There has also been talk about employers being
no longer allowed to prohibit an employee from revealing voluntarily
how much they earn.
The legislation will also look at discrimination in matters
such as sick and holiday pay and entitlement, and healthcare.
The recruitment process itself also looks set to come under
scrutiny, with women and ethnic minority candidates receiving
preferential treatment where there is no difference in qualification,
without risk of discrimination facing the employer.
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