Equal pay call

Unite delegate Susan Matthews gave a rousing speech as she moved a motion on equal pay legislation on Tuesday (September 9) at TUC Congress.

She slammed the Labour government?s purported plan to ?make work pay? when it fails to go far enough to ensure equal pay for equal work for everyone.

Addressing the Labour government, she reminded it of Malcolm X?s words: ?If you have no critics, you will likely have no success.?

?We are here to challenge the government on behalf of all workers,? Susan explained. ?We are all aware of the structural and persistent forms of exploitation and discrimination that women, Black and Asian ethnic minorities (BAEM), disabled individuals, and LGBT+ workers face throughout their careers.?

Susan went on to highlight the disparities in pay and employment that different groups face, noting that the disability pay gap has actually increased, and that BAEM workers, for example, are more likely to be on zero-hours contracts, or in low-paid roles.

She also told Congress that BAEM workers were disproportionately in more dangerous roles and suffered higher mortality rates during the pandemic.

?But despite all of this happening, the government has set the threshold for reporting pay gaps at 250 employees,? Susan noted. ?This means nearly all businesses will not have to report their pay gaps. It means over half of private sector workers will be in workplaces with no pay gap reporting.”

Susan added that companies outsourcing workers presents a loophole for employers to flout equal pay gap reporting.

?If a significant number of businesses are excluded and over half of workers are not included in equal pay reporting, we must ask, ?Who is the ?Plan to Make Work Pay? really for??? Susan went on to say. ?And if it merely involves reporting without any duty to take actions to achieve equal pay, then is it even a plan? It becomes nothing more than an aspiration.?

She went on to note that it has been a full 55 years since the first equal pay legislation was enacted for women.

?And we are still having to demand equal pay!? Susan said. ?After all this time we have a clear understanding of what works and what does not.?

Highlighting that underrepresented groups including women, BAEM, disabled, and LGBT+ workers together actually form a majority of the populace, she concluded that ?we deserve to have all forms of discrimination addressed.?

Susan urged Congress to support the motion, which was overwhelmingly carried.

By Hajera Blagg

Photo by Mark Thomas