Small firms urged to examine pay systems

Date: 3rd September 2010

Small businesses operating in the UK have been urged to examine their pay structures in order to ensure equality.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have called on firms to make sure they are complying with equal pay laws.

It comes after figures showed that despite the Equal Pay Act being in force for forty years, women are still paid on average 16.4 per cent per hour less than men.

The gap is wider in the private sector, where pay differs by 21.6 per cent, compared to the public sector, where women are still paid 14.6 per cent less.

David Frost, director-general of the BCC, said: "Businesses want to pay people fairly for the job that they do.

"Taking action now to make pay systems transparent and fair should help businesses recruit the best talent to enable the private sector to drive economic recovery."

Posted by Thomas Fletcher