Women win seven-year pay battle
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE Equal Opportunities Commission yesterday attacked 'grotesquely complex' laws that forced five women to fight for seven years before winning equal pay.
The women, who worked as administrators and financial clerks at a vehicle dealer, yesterday received a total of pounds 15,000 after a tribunal found that their work was of equal value to a job held by a man who worked as a parts salesman, a van driver and a car cleaner.
Last week, H & J Quick, a Ford dealer in north-west England, withdrew its appeal against the decision and paid them the difference in wages. Only one woman still works for the company.
Elizabeth Whitehouse, the commission's lawyer who represented the women in court, urged ministers to use the Employment Bill going through Parliament to simplify equal pay laws and 'make the whole system more accessible to women who are being underpaid simply because of their sex'.
She said that people often questioned the commission about the fact that women still earn on average 22 per cent less than men. 'One look at the situation in Quicks and you can see why. The administrative jobs were all considered to be women's work and paid less than the jobs traditionally done by men.'
She also condemned the grotesquely complex procedures which resulted in the battle taking seven years to resolve.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments