Women's Views on News |
| Pay audit initiative for equality Posted: 28 Oct 2014 07:29 AM PDT
As of 1 October, companies that are found to have breached equal pay law at a tribunal must produce an equal pay audit that analyses their pay structures – unless they qualify for 1 of 4 exceptions, or are classed as an exemption. The exemptions apply to micro businesses with less than 10 staff, or start up businesses which are less than 12 months old at the time of the equal pay claim. These exemptions will stop this from being too expensive for them. The exceptions are: If the employer had undertaken an audit that meets the specifications set out in regulations 6 within 3 years of the finding of a breach of equal pay law by the tribunal; If it is clear to the tribunal that no action is required to avoid equal pay breaches in future (ie, the current breach was clearly a one-off); If the tribunal has no reason to believe the employer is committing other equal pay breaches; or If the tribunal is convinced that the disadvantage of carrying out the audit outweighs the advantages. The Minister for Women and Equalities, Jo Swinson, said: "Nearly 40 years on from the Equal Pay Act, there is simply no excuse for employers who pay people less because of their gender. "These new rules mean that companies who break the law on equal pay will be forced to evaluate their pay structures to prevent further violations. " We want all businesses to recognise how pay transparency can help attract, recruit and retain talented women staff, and encourage organisations to sign up to our Think, Act, Report initiative to promote equality in the workplace." The introduction of these regulations follow the introduction of the Think, Act, Report initiative – which was introduced in September 2011 to encourage companies to: Think about gender equality; Take action to promote opportunities in their workplaces; and Report on what they are doing. Companies supporting the initiative range from those just starting to think about gender equality issues to those with action plans and reporting mechanisms already in place. What they share is a common desire to be more transparent about workforce issues and disseminate best practice. This is needed because, despite progress over many years, the difference between men's and women's average earnings is still 20 per cent. This is partly because the vast majority of low-paid jobs, in areas such as secretarial work and childcare, are still done by women. The evidence also suggests that, even when they are working in better paid professions, women generally occupy less senior positions than men, and are less well-paid than their male peers for comparable jobs. Greater transparency about these issues is seen as one way to address them. Currently only just over 2.2 million employees now work for businesses that promote gender equality at work.  |
| Letter to Farage about violence against women Posted: 28 Oct 2014 04:04 AM PDT
As reported earlier this week, UKIP have allowed Polish MEP Robert Iwaszkiewicz to join their European Parliamentary group – Europe for Free and Direct Democracy group (EFDD) following the resignation of a Latvian MEP from the group. Iwaszkiewicz however has spoken out in favour of men beating their wives and praised Hitler for keeping taxes low. These comments – and consequently UKIP's acceptance of Iwaszkiewicz into their EU Parliamentary fold – have rightly been met with outrage. In response, Seema Malhotra, Labour's Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls, has written an open letter to Farage (the full text of which you can find below). She has said that Iwaszkiewicz has a "deplorable attitude towards violence against women and girls" – while also highlighting the number of times "UKIP's attitude to women and women's equality has been called into question". Consequently, she has called upon Farage to "condemn the views of Mr Iwaszkiewicz." We're waiting to hear what Farage has got to say on the matter. Full text of the letter from Seema Malhotra MP to Nigel Farage: "Dear Nigel, I am writing to express my concern about UKIP's recent alliance with the Polish far-right KNP Party, following the joining of Robert Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz MEP to your EFDD Group in the European Parliament. Alongside the well-reported and abhorrent views Mr Iwaszkiewicz and his Party hold on the Holocaust and other issues, I am extremely concerned in particular about his casual, deplorable attitude towards violence against women and girls. In May, Mr Iwaszkiewicz was asked by the Polish daily Gazeta Wroclawska whether it is acceptable for men to hit their wives. He reportedly replied: "I'm sure there's quite a few wives around who would be brought back down to earth by such a reaction." Such a statement is, frankly, shameful. It is estimated that one in three women across the EU have experienced physical or sexual abuse since the age of 15, and in our own country, 2 women each week are still killed by their current or former partner. In such a context, it is extremely concerning that any UK politician is prepared to stand alongside those who express such sentiment. Time and time again, UKIP's attitude towards women and women's equality has been called into question. It is worrying, therefore, that rather than taking serious steps to address such concerns, you are instead intent on forming an alliance with an individual who condones domestic abuse. I urge you to condemn the views of Mr Iwaszkiewicz in the strongest possible terms and urgently rethink your alignment with the KNP in the European Parliament. Yours faithfully, Seema Malhotra" A version of this post appeared in LabourList on 23 October 2014.  |
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