Council back equal pay moves

Stirling Council have supported Equal Pay Day which took place on November 10.

The date on which it falls each year is chosen to help highlight the number of days annually women work for free because of, on average, the amount they earn less than men.

So, this year it means many women are working for free from November 10 to the end of the calendar year.

It has been calculated that at the current rate of progress, it will take more than 60 years to close the gender pay gap.

Stirling Council leader Johanna Boyd said: “Low pay impacts on the lives of many women and their families. We took the lead in introducing the Living Wage rate for our lowest paid workers in 2012.”

Overall, women can expect to earn significantly less than men over their entire careers. This is because of the differences in caring responsibilities and the high numbers of women working in low-skilled and low-paid work. Lack of skills and discrimination are also factors.

Stirling Council chief human resources officer Kristine Johnson said:“We pay a consolidated hourly rate which impacts positively on other things such as overtime worked, holiday pay, and towards pensions in the future.”

She said their“gender pay gap” – the difference between what men and women earn – was currently at 0.68 per cent. Accountancy giants Deloitte said earlier this year the hourly pay gap between men and women was 9.4 per cent, or about £1.30.