Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionEqual pay

Government scraps gender pay audits

by Personnel Today 3 Dec 2010
by Personnel Today 3 Dec 2010

A clause in the Act made it possible for the Government to require all employers with more than 250 staff to report their gender pay gap from 2013.

However, this measure has been dropped and the Government is instead encouraging employers to publish the differences in pay between male and female employees on a voluntary basis.

Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone explained that it was necessary to take a more flexible approach to gender pay audits as different organisations face different challenges in promoting equality.

“We want to move away from the arrogant notion that government knows best, to one where government empowers individuals, businesses and communities to make change happen,” she said.

Featherstone also announced that the Government will enact recruitment measures that will allow employers to make their organisations more representative by allowing them to choose a candidate from a group that is under-represented when faced with two or more candidates of equal measure.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) welcomed the Government’s commitment to working with business to improve gender diversity but pointed out that employers still face challenges in doing this.

Katja Hall, CBI director of employment policy, said: “Lack of applicants is still a barrier for employers looking to diversify their workforce. The ability to choose candidates which are under-represented in the workforce in tie-break recruitment situations could be a useful tool, but employers will need clear guidance on how to use this positive action provision correctly to avoid falling foul of the law.”

Meanwhile, Unison’s general secretary Dave Prentis has accused the Government of “stripping down its commitment to equality”.

“Female public sector workers face a triple whammy – frozen pay, cuts to services and now further delays in giving them equal pay,” he said.

“This is confirmation that the gender pay gap is still struggling to be closed, with those at the bottom ignored by big bosses,” Prentis concluded.

More information on the Government’s equality strategy is available on XpertHR.

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Gatwick HR director discusses snow challenges
next post
CBSbutler wins Best Recruitment Company of the Year at the APSCO Awards

You may also like

Ethnic diversity: report highlights disparities in school leadership

18 May 2022

Gender equality facing growing backlash from male managers

16 May 2022

Lack of flexibility pushes half of women to...

16 May 2022

Ethnicity pay gaps: Not making reporting mandatory is...

16 May 2022

How to build a compelling talent attraction strategy...

12 May 2022

Women in finance: Aviva CEO slams sexist comments...

11 May 2022

Gender pensions gap: half of women expect to...

9 May 2022

Pay transparency: How organisations can break the taboo

5 May 2022

Employees drive ESG goals for HR, study claims

4 May 2022

Twice as many men as women hold company...

3 May 2022
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+