On 14 July, the UK government launched a consultation on proposed wide-ranging reforms to the UK’s equal pay and pay discrimination framework, in acknowledgement that the current equal pay system is far from fit for purpose. The government states that the current system “encourages protracted and adversarial disputes, multiplying the time and expense involved”. Similarly, the government’s view is that the existing regime “does not do enough to protect those who need it, including disabled employees, those from ethnic minority groups and outsourced workers”
It is therefore seeking views from stakeholders including employers, trade unions, individuals and representative organisations on proposals to fix the areas of the system that are currently falling short, as well as on its planned expansion of the equal pay system.
