The Government will use existing
equal pay legislation to make employers pay women fairly.
Employment minister Tessa Jowell
outlined the Government’s plans to improve pay for women at an Industrial
Society seminar today.
She said, "We believe that
women’s employment opportunities and closing the pay gap can now best be helped
by making existing legislation work better and by taking forward a programme
with employers to challenge discrimination."
Jowell said the Government would
encourage employers to undertake voluntary pay reviews.
Under the proposals, fair pay
champions would publicly promote the benefits of fairness and equality in pay.
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A leading business figure, who has
yet to be named, will also head up a Women’s Employment and Pay Review to build
support for equal pay among employers.
CBI
director-general John Cridland said, "This is a good set of proposals for
tackling the gender pay gap – they should be workable for business and
effective for women in the workplace."
