Equal Pay - GMB

GMB@WORK
Equal Pay
GMB has 30,000 equal pay claim against local government and NHS employers throughout the UK.
The claims which are all yet to be settled are estimated to be worth £250 million to GMB members.
The cases on behalf of GMB woman members who work as cleaners, catering workers, school
support staff and admin workers who are comparing the jobs that they do to the similar jobs that
men do but who earn more. The 30,000 live GMB claims are on top of the many tens of thousands
that have been settled through negotiation or legal proceedings in the last decade as GMB has
pursued employers who fail to implement equal pay.
This announcement coincides with the publication of a new GMB analysis of the gender pay gap
league of 240 occupations for full time workers in the UK using recently published data from the
April 2007 Annual Survey of Earnings and Hours from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). This
data shows that for all occupations for full time workers the gender pay gap amounts to an average
of £9,655 per year in favour of men. The widest gender pay gap is £49,295 for financial managers
and chartered secretaries. Next widest is pharmacy managers £25,697 followed by financial
institution managers £20,500 with £19,916 gap for management consultants, actuaries and
economists. At the other end of the league are public relations officers where women earn £5,519
more than men in the same job. The study also shows that there are now 23 occupations in the UK
where to all intents and purposes equality of pay between men and women doing that job has all but
been achieved. These include security guards, social workers, graphic designers, waiting staff,
kitchen and catering assistants, shelf fillers, physiotherapists, ambulance staff, hospital porters,
laundry staff, train drivers, call centre staff and civil servant administrative grades. For the full list of
all occupations in the study see note 2 below.
Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary said, “Our low paid women members are often unwilling to
make a claim for equal pay, which is a shame because it is their legal right. We hope that by
showing the scale and size of our work in this area that we can encourage more women to let GMB
fight for their right to equal pay. As the study shows there is still much more to be done.
One of the highlights of 2007 was the House of Lords victory for St Helens council dinner
ladies who had been victimised by their employer for seeking equal pay. GMB was pleased to
win justice for these women and to show up St Helenscouncil for their behaviour – all credit
to these members for setting such an example of courage and conviction.
At the same time the GMB reported net membership growth of over 5% in public services
during 2007. Who says unions are dying out? Our role is more important than ever”
http://www.gmb.org.uk/work-issues/maternity-paternity-and-other-leave/equal-pay Page 1/3
Join online today at www.gmb.org.uk/join
GMB Euston Office: 22 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD • Tel: 020 8391 6700 • email: info@gmb.org.uk

GMB@WORK
Notes
1. This massive wave of litigation of GMB claims is managed through the union’s nine regions
and four firms of solicitors – Thompsons, Digby Brown, EAD and Whittles.
2. The earnings figures for all occupations in the UK are shown in the table below. All figures
are also expressed as a percentage of the UK average of £29,999 for ease of comparison.
The gender gap is shown in the salary difference in £’s and also in percentage gap between
where males and females fall in the national pay league.
GMB has 30,000 equal pay claim against local government and NHS employers throughout the UK.
The claims which are all yet to be settled are estimated to be worth £250 million to GMB members.
The cases on behalf of GMB woman members who work as cleaners, catering workers, school
support staff and admin workers who are comparing the jobs that they do to the similar jobs that
men do but who earn more. The 30,000 live GMB claims are on top of the many tens of thousands
that have been settled through negotiation or legal proceedings in the last decade as GMB has
pursued employers who fail to implement equal pay.
This announcement coincides with the publication of a new GMB analysis of the gender pay gap
league of 240 occupations for full time workers in the UK using recently published data from the
April 2007 Annual Survey of Earnings and Hours from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). This
data shows that for all occupations for full time workers the gender pay gap amounts to an average
of £9,655 per year in favour of men. The widest gender pay gap is £49,295 for financial managers
and chartered secretaries. Next widest is pharmacy managers £25,697 followed by financial
institution managers £20,500 with £19,916 gap for management consultants, actuaries and
economists. At the other end of the league are public relations officers where women earn £5,519
more than men in the same job. The study also shows that there are now 23 occupations in the UK
where to all intents and purposes equality of pay between men and women doing that job has all but
been achieved. These include security guards, social workers, graphic designers, waiting staff,
kitchen and catering assistants, shelf fillers, physiotherapists, ambulance staff, hospital porters,
laundry staff, train drivers, call centre staff and civil servant administrative grades. For the full list of
all occupations in the study see note 2 below.
Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary said, “Our low paid women members are often unwilling to
make a claim for equal pay, which is a shame because it is their legal right. We hope that by
showing the scale and size of our work in this area that we can encourage more women to let GMB
fight for their right to equal pay. As the study shows there is still much more to be done.
http://www.gmb.org.uk/work-issues/maternity-paternity-and-other-leave/equal-pay Page 2/3
Join online today at www.gmb.org.uk/join
GMB Euston Office: 22 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD • Tel: 020 8391 6700 • email: info@gmb.org.uk

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GMB@WORK
One of the highlights of 2007 was the House of Lords victory for St Helens council dinner
ladies who had been victimised by their employer for seeking equal pay. GMB was pleased to
win justice for these women and to show up St Helenscouncil for their behaviour – all credit
to these members for setting such an example of courage and conviction.
At the same time the GMB reported net membership growth of over 5% in public services
during 2007. Who says unions are dying out? Our role is more important than ever”
Notes
1. This massive wave of litigation of GMB claims is managed through the union’s nine regions
and four firms of solicitors – Thompsons, Digby Brown, EAD and Whittles.
2. The earnings figures for all occupations in the UK are shown in the table below. All figures
are also expressed as a percentage of the UK average of £29,999 for ease of comparison.
The gender gap is shown in the salary difference in £’s and also in percentage gap between
where males and females fall in the national pay league.
http://www.gmb.org.uk/work-issues/maternity-paternity-and-other-leave/equal-pay Page 3/3
Join online today at www.gmb.org.uk/join
GMB Euston Office: 22 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD • Tel: 020 8391 6700 • email: info@gmb.org.uk