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Latest NewsExecutive payPay & benefitsPay settlementsPay structures

Workers afraid to discuss pay because of secrecy clauses

by Jo Faragher 15 Jan 2020
by Jo Faragher 15 Jan 2020 Almost a fifth of workers had been told they could not discuss salary with colleagues
Almost a fifth of workers had been told they could not discuss salary with colleagues

Almost a fifth of workers don’t talk about their pay at work because they are not allowed, according to research from the TUC.

The union found that 18% of workers had been told that they should not discuss their salary with colleagues, while half of workers had no idea what senior managers earned in their organisation.

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TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady called these pay secrecy clauses “a get out of jail free card for bad bosses”, claiming they stop workers from challenging unfair pay and “allow top executives to hoard profits and encourage discrimination against women and disabled people”.

“Talking about pay can feel a bit uncomfortable, but more openness about wages is essential to building fairer workplaces,” she added.

More than half (53%) of respondents said they were not given any information on what other people were paid in their organisation.

The TUC has urged the government to ban pay secrecy clauses so employees can discuss pay and other work benefits freely. It also wants the government to commit to pay transparency measures that are currently being considered in the European Union.

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Earlier this year, a poll by YouGov for job site Indeed found that 56% of workers supported making personal salary information such as monthly income or tax returns publicly available. Countries including Sweden and Norway already have some form of pay transparency legislation in place.

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Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

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