Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • 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.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“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.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

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

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Co-op equal pay claims move onto next stage

30 Jun 2025

Progressive DEI policy is a red line for...

27 Jun 2025

Graduate pay versus the living wage: an HR...

25 Jun 2025

BBC Breakfast bullying and misconduct allegations under investigation

20 Jun 2025

Finance professionals expect less emphasis on ESG and...

18 Jun 2025

Lack of role models a ‘barrier’ for people...

17 Jun 2025

Pride 2025: why corporate allyship still matters

16 Jun 2025

HR is second ‘most sexist profession’ survey suggests

13 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+