All Topics  
Equal Pay Act 1970

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Equal Pay Act 1970



 
 
The Equal Pay Act 1970 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which prohibits any less favourable treatment between men
MEN

The abbreviation MEN can refer to:* Multiple endocrine neoplasia* Manchester Evening News* Manchester Evening News Arena* Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Poland - Ministerstwo Edukaji Narodowej...
 and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. It came into force on 29 December 1975. The term pay is interpreted in a broad sense to include, on top of wages, things like holidays, pension rights, company perks and some kinds of bonuses. The legislation has been amended on a number of recent occasions to incorporate a simplified approach under European Union law
European Union law

The Law of the European Union is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union . EU law has direct effect within the legal systems of its Member States, and overrides national law in many areas, especially in areas covered by the Four Freedoms ....
 that is common to all member states.

an employee to claim under this Act they must prove one of the following:



Once the employee has established that they are employed on 'equal work' with their comparator then they are entitled to 'equal pay' unless the employer proves that the difference in pay is genuinely due to a material factor which is not the difference in gender.

997, trades unions negotiated Single Status job evaluation, hoping that this would enforce the Equal Pay Act without needing to take numerous pay claims to industrial tribunal.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Equal Pay Act 1970'
Start a new discussion about 'Equal Pay Act 1970'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Equal Pay Act 1970 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which prohibits any less favourable treatment between men
MEN

The abbreviation MEN can refer to:* Multiple endocrine neoplasia* Manchester Evening News* Manchester Evening News Arena* Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Poland - Ministerstwo Edukaji Narodowej...
 and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. It came into force on 29 December 1975. The term pay is interpreted in a broad sense to include, on top of wages, things like holidays, pension rights, company perks and some kinds of bonuses. The legislation has been amended on a number of recent occasions to incorporate a simplified approach under European Union law
European Union law

The Law of the European Union is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union . EU law has direct effect within the legal systems of its Member States, and overrides national law in many areas, especially in areas covered by the Four Freedoms ....
 that is common to all member states.

Elements of a claim

For an employee to claim under this Act they must prove one of the following:

  • That the work done by the claimant is the same, or broadly the same, as the other employee.
  • That the work done by the claimant is of equal value to that of the other employee.
  • That the work done by the claimant is rated (by a job evaluation study) the same as that of the other employee.


Once the employee has established that they are employed on 'equal work' with their comparator then they are entitled to 'equal pay' unless the employer proves that the difference in pay is genuinely due to a material factor which is not the difference in gender.

Single Status

In 1997, trades unions negotiated Single Status job evaluation, hoping that this would enforce the Equal Pay Act without needing to take numerous pay claims to industrial tribunal. Single Status was intended to establish whether jobs were of equal value, and bring in a pay model which would remove the need for equal pay claims. Jobs which had previously been classed as manual or administrative/clerical would be brought together under one payscale and one set of terms and conditions. As of March 2008, however, Single Status has resulted in industrial action in Coventry
Coventry

Coventry is a City status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. With a population of 303,475 at the United Kingdom Census 2001 , Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom....
 and Birmingham
Birmingham

Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 ....
, with Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton is a City status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands , England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of List of English cities by population, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England....
 considering it; trade union Unison
UNISON

UNISON ? the Public Service Union is the second largest trade union in the United Kingdom, with over 1.3 million members.It was formed in 1993 when three previous public sector trade unions, the National Association of Local Government Officers , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service Employees merg...
 has declared Single Status unfit for the purpose of equal pay.

See also

  • Equal Pay Act of 1963
    Equal Pay Act of 1963

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963, Pub. L. No. 88-38, 77 Stat. 56, codified at , is a United States federal law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage differentials based on sex....
    , the United States legislation which influenced the Act
  • Employment discrimination law in the United Kingdom
    Employment discrimination law in the United Kingdom

    Employment discrimination law in the United Kingdom combats prejudice in the workplace. It protects discrimination against people based on gender, race, religion or belief, sexuality, disability and, most recently, age....
  • Equal pay for women
    Equal pay for women

    Equal pay for women is an issue regarding pay inequality between men and women. It is often introduced into domestic politics in many first world countries as an economic problem that needs governmental intervention via regulation....


External links

  • Directive , on the burden of proof in sex discrimination claims.


  • , whose Article 141 address equal pay between men and women. Article 13, introduced by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1996, is the basis for Directives 2000/78/EC and 2000/43/EC
    • as amended by the SI 2003/1656


  • Directive , on the equal treatment of men and women in employment regarding the definitions of direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and provisions on maternity. It comes fully into effect in August 2008, and just does a consolidating job and repeals a number of previous Directives, including and .