Equal Pay in United Kingdom

Definition of Equal Pay

In accordance with the work A Dictionary of Law, this is a description of Equal Pay : The requirement of the Equal Pay Act 1970 that men and women in the same employment must be paid at the same rate for like work or work rated as equivalent or of equal value. They are in the same employment if they work at the same establishment (or if one works at an establishment that includes the other’s) and they work for the same or an associated *employer. The establishments must also be those at which the terms and conditions of employment are observed generally or for employees of the relevant description. “Like work” is work that is broadly similar, where any differences between the man’s work and the woman’s are not of practical importance. Work is rated as equivalent when the employer has undertaken a study to evaluate his employees’ jobs in terms of the skill, effort, and responsibility demanded of them and the woman’s job is given the same grade as the man’s. If the employer has no job-evaluation scheme, an independent expert is appointed by an employment tribunal to evaluate the two jobs to

See if they are of equal value. Thus when the employer’s job-grading system or the expert’s report recognizes that the woman’s job is as demanding as the man’s, they are entitled to equal pay even though the nature of the work they do is very different. An employer’s job-evaluation system can be challenged on the basis that it is discriminatory.

See also equality clause.

The Code of Practice on Equal Pay, which was drafted by the Equal Opportunities Commission and applies to all employers, came into effect on 26 March 1997. The Code requires employers to review current pay structures and policy; introduce an equal-pay policy and ensure that pay structures and grades are transparent; change any rules of practice that are likely to result in discrimination in pay; establish a continuous monitoring procedure and on-going assessment so that bad practices do not develop; and assess whether there are any discrepancies in pay levels between male and female staff. The Code is admissible in evidence in any tribunal proceedings under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal Pay Act 1970.