From 16 February to 1 March 2015 the TUC is running Fair
Pay Fortnight, a series of events across the country that will raise awareness
about Britain’s cost of living crisis.
6.1 million people in the UK in working households are
living in poverty and despite the fact that the Equal Pay Act came into force
over 40 years ago, the gap in gender pay is still significant.
According to Close the Gap in Scotland,
- Women account for 48% of the labour market.
- 43% of women employed in Scotland work
part-time compared to 13% of men employed in Scotland.
- Women account for 75% of all part-time workers
in Scotland.
And when it comes to pay,
- 11.5% (comparison of men's full-time hourly
earnings with women's full-time hourly earnings, using the mean)
- 32.4% (comparison men's full-time hourly
earnings with women's part-time hourly earnings, using the mean)
Put bluntly, on average, women working full-time
in Scotland earn £95.60 per week less than men.
In
2015, that’s unacceptable. Despite the introduction of the specific duties of
the Equality Act 2010, there is very little evidence that Government are
actively pursuing a political strategy that will address the gap in women’s
pay.
The
nightmare that is child care costs, soaring inflation – despite what Osborne
says - frozen pay, lack of flexible working, caring costs and responsibilities
– a never ending stress list that needs to be addressed now. Not by some
ministerial advisory group that will report in 5 years.
We need to put fair pay at the top of the political
agenda and ensure that policymakers and employers create more high-quality jobs
to boost productivity and raise people's living standards. People need more
money in their pockets if local economies are to thrive.
Britain needs a pay rise.
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