T&G criticise local government over pay inequality

The
Transport and General Workers’ Union has welcomed the Audit Commission’s report
into discrimination in local government, saying women are still not getting a
fair deal from councils.

T&G
national organiser Jack Dromey called the report a "damning
indictment" of local government moving too slowly on equalities as service
providers and employers.

Singling
out the exposé of the second-class treatment of women in the local government
workforce, Mr Dromey said: "The Audit Commission is spot-on. Broken
promises on equal pay lie at the heart of the looming first national strike in
local government for 23 years.

"Women
in local government account for 70 per cent of the workforce but earn just 66
per cent of male workers’ weekly earnings a yawning gender gap of 34 per cent.

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

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

Email(Required)

OptOut

From time to time, we will send you emails about selected products, events and services from Personnel Today and OHW+ - but you can choose to opt-out at any time. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please tick this box.

Name

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

Δ

"Yet
only 1 in 7 councils have concluded a pay and grading review five years on from
the Single Status agreement of 1997. It’s no wonder that women workers have had
enough of waiting for justice on pay."

By Quentin Reade