‘Pay gaps are not accidents’

UNISON escalated its campaign to close all pay gaps in UK employment, at its national delegate conference in Brighton this week. 

The motion ‘closing the pay gap for good’ underlined the intrinsic link between pay inequality and discrimination.

In proposing the motion, David Dunwell, of West Yorkshire combined water and transport branch said: “Let us begin with the simple truth: pay gaps are not accidents. They are not quirks in the system, nor are they relics of a bygone area, they are an ongoing daily expression of inequality in our workplaces and our society. 

“Despite decades of campaigning, of evidence and negotiation, of lived experience, workers across the UK continue to be paid unequally. Women are still paid less than men. Black workers still face entrenched inequalities, disabled workers, LGBT+ workers and those from working- class backgrounds all continue to experience systemic disadvantage when it comes to pay. These are not isolated issues, they they are structural, and they are persistent.”

“Conference, the Covid-19 pandemic did not create these inequalities. It exposed and deepened them. The cost of living crisis has only sharpened this injustice. Those already facing inequality are now the ones struggling most to make ends meet. 

“And yet transparency remains inadequate. Too many employers still hide behind opaque pay systems, too many workers are left in the dark about how their pay compares to others, and too often the laws that are meant to protect us are simply not enforced.”

A question of power

Kerri Tierney for the NEC said: “Pay inequality is not just an economic issue. It's a matter of power, it's a matter of justice, and it's a priority for our trade union.”

She also observed that pay gaps did not happen by accident. “They are the result of choices, choices about whose work is valued, whose contribution is recognised, and whose labour is rewarded. 

“The result is clear. Women still earn less than men – the gender pay gap means the average woman works effectively 47 days a year for free. Black members still fear significant pay disparities, and disabled members still continue to face some of the biggest barriers to parity in our workplaces. 

“And we know that the impact falls hardest on those facing multiple forms of discrimination. Black women face some of the widest pay gaps in our economy. Disabled women can earn up to 31%, less than non-disabled men. A triple penalty of sexism, racism, and ableism that continues to hold and hold our members back and keep our members' families poorer.

“This is not acceptable. No workers should be paid less because of who they are.”

The reality of low pay

Kerri said that the Employment Rights Act and the Equality Race and Disability Bill were important steps forward. Stronger reporting, inclusion of outsourced workers, ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting and mandatory action plans were all welcome. 

“But conference, transparency alone will not close the pay gap. And no one was ever equal because the spreadsheet said they were. Real change happens when workers organise, real change happens when unions challenge employers. Real change happens when we refuse to accept inequality as the price of doing business.” 

Shirley Scott of City of Sunderland branch told delegates: “I stand here before you today as a low-paid worker. And for me the issues of this motion are a reality. I work hard, in fact, I work more than one job. And I take on as much work as I possibly can. And still it's not enough. 

“I'm not alone in that. Too many workers, especially women, are putting in long hours and still struggling just to get by. Every month is a balancing act. Before I get paid, I have to work out what I owe, what I can afford and what I can do without. 

“That constant pressure brings on my anxiety, my stress, and my physical exhaustion. This is what pay inequality looks like in real life. 

“This motion matters. It calls for the voices of the workers living this reality to be heard loud and clear. Because too often people like us are invisible. Closing the pay gap would change our lives. Less stress, more security, the knowledge that you are a valued worker.”

Liz Payne-Ahmadi, the South West retired members' rep, gave a powerful reminder of the lifelong consequences of low pay. 

“The impact of the pay gaps that we're talking about of course don't end when we stop working. Those impacts follow us throughout our lives. The penalty of the gender pay gap is a lifelong penalty. There are almost two million retired people in this country who are categorised as living in poverty – and the majority of those two million are women. What a disgrace.”

Delegates passed the motion, which calls on the national executive council to: 

• Campaign for mandatory, transparent pay audits across all employers, not only those with 250 or more employees;
• Lobby for stronger enforcement powers for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure employers are held accountable for pay inequality;
• Develop and promote UNISON training and resources that empower members to challenge pay inequality in their workplaces;
• Work with Labour Link and other allies to secure legislative reform that strengthens equal pay protections across all protected characteristics;
• Highlight and amplify the voices and experiences of workers affected by pay gaps, through UNISON’s communications and campaigning work;
• Ensure that pay gap campaigning is intersectional and inclusive, explicitly incorporating gender, ethnicity, disability, LGBT+ and class-based pay inequalities, and reflecting the lived experiences of all affected workers. 

As David concluded: “We commit to amplifying the voices of those affected, because behind every pay gap figure is a person, the worth of whose labour is undervalued, whose contribution is discounted, whose dignity is undermined. Their voices must be heard.”