Campaigners sign petition to reinstate gender pay gap reporting

A statement signed by leading equalities charities, campaigners and business groups is calling for the reinstatement of enforcement on large employers to report their gender pay gap.

The statement calls on the government to reinstate enforcement and require all larger employees to provide their gender pay gap data to ensure the pandemic does not turn back the clock on women and work.

Campaigners are also urging people to write to their MP and ask them to support reinstating mandatory gender pay gap reporting among large employers.

Supporters are also encouraged to sign a UK Government and Parliament petition calling on the Government to reinstate gender pay gap reporting.

The move comes amid signs that the Government is planning to suspend gender pay gap reporting for the second year due to Covid-19.

Felicia Willow, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, one of the signatories, said: “In 2020, the enforcement of gender pay gap reporting for large employers was suspended due to a concern of the impact of reporting on employers. What we’ve seen since then is the pandemic policy response disproportionately impacting women, particularly at work…

“Gender pay gap reporting is one way that employers can identify issues that need action. A year ago, we didn’t know what we faced. Now, we know that we face significantly worsening inequality that may take decades to redress. There is no reasonable argument supporting the claim that gender pay gap reporting should remain unenforced in 2021.

“Our statement brings together major organisations from across the equalities sector as well as representing employers to call for the UK government to urgently reinstate enforcement for gender pay gap reporting in 2021.”

The statement comes as a court ruled that campaign organisation Pregnant Then Screwed lost its case against the government that the Self Employment Income Support Scheme has had a “disproportionately prejudicial effect” on working mothers who have been on maternity leave in the calculation period, resulting in lower payments. The High Court ruled that: “The same rule applies to all and it is no harder for a woman who has been on maternity leave to qualify or calculate their payment than someone who has not. The fact that some claimants will receive lower payments than others reflects the fact of lower earnings in past years.”

Pregnant Then Screwed is considering an appeal.

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