Section 78 of the Equality Act 2010 and You
Figures show that, overall, women in the UK earn 19% less than men. After the age of 40 for women, the pay difference is much more visible. New government legislation is to be introduced in March 2016 under Section 78 of the Equality Act 2010 is aimed at reducing the gender pay gap in companies. The legislation will force companies of 250 employees or more to publish on how much they pay men and women.
What does this mean?
Both men and women are entitled to receive equal pay to colleagues of the opposite sex who do the same job or jobs of equal value. If you are receiving less pay to your counterpart at work, then you are protected under the Equal Pay legislation and entitled to make a claim.
Although it is not yet clear exactly what form the law will take, the government has said it will soon publish draft regulations. This could allow you to see if colleagues of the opposite sex are being paid more than you for work that is of equal value.
What can you do?
If you find that you are being underpaid in this way, or indeed if you already know you are being underpaid, you may be entitled to submit a claim for up to six years of back pay. If your claim succeeds, you are also entitled to have your contract amended to ensure you receive the same rate as your colleague going forward.
You are also entitled to compare yourself to predecessors therefore if you are being paid less for the same job which was done by someone else, you may also be entitled to claim.
How We Can Help
We have a number of options regarding funding a case (see here) and have also arranged an insurance policy which will protect you against the risk of having to pay Tribunal fees should your case be lost.
Paul Doran has over a decade of experience working and dealing with equal pay issues. We can advise you as to whether we think you have a good case and how much compensation you are likely to receive.
Below are some of the testimonials from our clients that we have helped.
“Paul helped me to get my pay settlement and everything sent to me was easy to understand”.
S. Batters
“I feel strongly that Paul cares about his clients. He has kept me informed about the case and has given 100%.
P. Reah
Make an Enquiry Now
To make a free enquiry based on any of the issues raised on this page please contact us on 0808 168 7288, or complete the online contact form at the top right of this page.