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