Men
should strike if employers do not pay their female counterparts an equal wage,
union Amicus says.
Amicus
claims female workers earn 29 per cent less than their male colleagues, and is
asking male union members to sign an equal pay charter which supports strike
action if employers refuse to conduct equal pay audits to uncover where and how
pay gaps appear.
Fiona
Farmer, Amicus equalities officer, said the equal pay issue is often overlooked
by men who see it as a women’s problem rather than one of wider worker rights.
"This
campaign is asking men whether or not they think their family can afford to
have one of its incomes cut by up to 29 per cent when the Christmas credit card
bills start landing on the doormat," she said.
The
union wants the Government to make regular equal pay audits compulsory.
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"There
is no reason for any company to refuse to carry out an equal pay audit unless
it is to conceal discrimination against women in the workplace and that is
against the law," Farmer said.
