UK companies urged to make haste and close gender pay gap
Equality campaigners make appeal ahead of deadline for organisations to report pay differences between male and female staff
London — British companies must dramatically ramp up efforts to close the gender pay gap, equality campaigners said on Thursday ahead of a midnight deadline for organisations to report pay differences between male and female staff. This is the second year that all companies and charities in Britain with more than 250 employees — covering almost half the country’s workforce — have had to report their gender pay gap. Hundreds of organisations had not filed figures by Thursday afternoon. Those that fail to comply risk legal action. The government will release details on Friday, but data already posted shows many of the country’s big banks have pay gaps exceeding 30%, based on their mean hourly pay rate. “It is disappointing, but not surprising, that there are so many employers … with large pay gaps and that these pay gaps aren’t being closed,” said Sam Smethers, CEO of the Fawcett Society, a charity that campaigns on equal pay. “The regulations are not tough enough. It’s time for actio...
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