Women receive better pay with gender equality duty

Thousands of women working in the public sector in Northern Ireland will be able to look forward to better pay and conditions from Friday 6 April as the new gender equality duty comes into force.

The duty will require public sector employers to address sex discrimination, promote gender equality and to provide information and consult with unions.

Currently the average gender pay gap in Northern Ireland is 10.5 per cent (based on weekly median earnings).

Peter Williamson is the regional secretary for the trade union Amicus in Ireland.

He says: “It’s scandalous that in the 21st century, and more than 30 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, so many women and their families are losing out. There really is nothing fair about being the fairer sex.

“Many of our hard working and dedicated women members deserve equal pay and better promotion prospects. Amicus will be working closely with employers in the public sector to ensure that they do not pay lip service to the gender equality duty and are actually taking action to close the gender pay gap.”

Amicus, however, is disappointed that the new gender equality duty does not extend to the private, voluntary and not-for-profit sectors. Siobhan Endean, Amicus head of equalities, said “The private and not-for-profit sectors have a wider equality gap than the public sector, and action is needed to promote gender equality at work if we are to move closer to ending discrimination at work.

“Amicus would like to see the gender equality duty extended to the private sector to avoid a two tier system of employment practice.

“Our experience is that without a legal requirement to take action many employers in these sectors will continue to indirectly discriminate against women.

“Amicus is campaigning for the strengthening of the duty that will require all employers to take action to close the gender pay gap, support women to break the glass ceiling and provide flexible working hours for all employees.

“This is a Good Friday for women in the public sector and we shall now continue to campaign for the same rights for working women everywhere.”

(JM/KMcA)