12th April 2022
The National Equal Pay Day is a day to encourage people to fight for employment equality no matter what their gender or the colour of their skin is. This year it falls on Tuesday 12th April 2022.
The date of National Equal Pay day changes year on year and also Country to Country. It is set on the day in a year when a female worker would have caught up with their male colleague’s wages from the previous year. On average a woman would need to work until at least 24th March the next year to be paid the same amount of money their male colleague earned in the previous year.
Equal pay is a person’s entitlement to the same wage as someone doing work to an equal value.
It is well known that women are not paid the same as men when doing the same job, regardless of sex, race or religion, everyone should be paid what they are worth and pay should be the same per job not the person doing the job.
In the 20th century women all around the world, took a stand against equal pay, and these fights are still taking place today.
Pay gaps between males and females are caused by various factors however these factors, usually directly related to choices for women created by society.
The Equality Act 2010 is the legislation that states, that men and women who perform equal work must receive equal pay, unless a pay difference can be justified, such as a difference in service.
An employee has the right to lodge a pay claim with the employment tribunal within six months from the date their employment ended with the Company. If an employee is successful with their claim for equal pay, then this payment can be backdated, the maximum period for back pay is six months.
What employers can do on National Equal Pay Day
- Raise awareness on pay equality by talking about the issues
- Educate all in the issues that create the problem
- Review your Company policies and procedures to ensure fairness for all
- Encourage employees to wear the colour red for the day
For more HR guidance, speak to our team today.
