Women and Men: Pay Gap Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Lord Woodley
Main Page: Lord Woodley (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Woodley's debates with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
(1 year, 9 months ago)
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Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)
Measures have been put in place to improve the state pension outcomes for most women. More than 3 million women stand to receive an average of £550 more per year by 2030 as a result of the recent reforms. Under the new state pension, outcomes are projected to equalise for men and women by the early 2040s, more than a decade earlier than they would have under the old system, so I think we are on top of that issue.
Lord Woodley (Lab)
My Lords, the gender pay gap has reached 15% and is getting worse, not better. That is a disgrace, is it not, especially as more than half the women say they would use any additional money just to put more heating and lighting on in their homes, according to the Fawcett Society? It is unbelievable. How sad is that in Britain today? The ETUC and my own union, Unite, are clear that the most effective way to tackle the gender pay gap is through collective bargaining. Does the Minister therefore agree that negotiating a legally enforceable right to know what a male colleague is being paid for equal work would be a step in the right direction?