Modern workplaces consultation - government response
The modern workplaces consultation was published on 16 May 2011 and sought views on proposals to update employment law to encourage a more fair…
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The modern workplaces consultation was published on 16 May 2011 and sought views on proposals to update employment law to encourage a more fair and flexible approach to work.
The consultation included questions on flexible parental leave; flexible working; working time and equal pay. This response focuses on the equal pay aspect of the consultation. The response to the flexible working and flexible parental leave elements of the modern workplaces consultation will be published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in due course.
The equal pay section of the modern workplaces consultation received 116 responses - 36 (31 per cent) from individuals, 15 (12.9 per cent) from business representative organisations and trade bodies, 11 (9.4 per cent) from Trade Unions and Staff Associations, 11 (9.4 per cent) from charitable and social enterprise organisations, and the remainder from local government, central government, legal representatives and others.
Generally, respondents agreed that there were problems within both public and private sectors in relation to transparency of gender pay gaps. In spite of this agreement, respondents had differing opinions about the effectiveness of using ‘pay audits’ to address gender pay gaps, the exact nature of pay audit requirements and the likely effectiveness of the proposal.
The government response detailing the next steps to implement these proposals is now available, as well as an impact assessment.
You can also download the equal pay cases and pay audits report carried out by Incomes Data Services. The report provides context for proposed legislation on equal pay audits by examining successful equal pay or sex discrimination related pay claims from the last eight years.
Date: Thu Jun 14 14:13:00 BST 2012