GRAHAM HISCOTT Ethnic workers are paid less... Official data reveals ‘shocking’ wage divide

ETHNIC minority employees in the UK earned an average of 3.8% less than white workers last year. The finding comes from the first official analysis of its kind carried out by the Office for National Statistics. It looked at workers by which ethnic group they classed themselves as being from, rather than their country of birth. According to the ONS, the average white British worker earned just over £12 an hour before tax and national insurance last year. That compares with £9.60 on average for workers in the Bangladeshi group, the lowest paid , followed by Pakistanis at £10 an hour.

Worke r s w h o c l a ss e d themselves as Caribbean, African and Black British earned an average of £10.92.

However, those within the Chinese ethnic group earned nearly 31% more than white workers at £15.75 an hour, while those i n the India group earned £13.47.

TUC general secretar y Frances O’grady said: “The harsh reality is even today race still plays a real role in determining pay. TUC research has shown that far too many black and minority ethnic workers are stuck in insecure and temporary work, which not only has a huge impact on their life chances but also widens the pay gap.”

Dawn Butler, Labour’s Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said: “Today’s figures highlight the shocking persistence of ethnic pay inequality.

“People need to earn a fair wage based on merit, not by virtue of the colour of their skin.”

And Nell Andrew, the GMB union’s national equality and inclusion officer, said: “It’s truly disturbing that in 2019 the UK should have any ethnicity pay gap – let alone one as big as this.

“GMB is calling for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.”

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SHOCKED MP Dawn Butler