Equal pay plan faces backlash

BUSINESSES have raised privacy concerns about calls for women to be given the right to know what their male colleagues are paid.

Equality charity The Fawcett Society said female workers should be able to demand the information if they suspect their wages are lower because of gender discrimination.

But the Institute of Directors warned the proposals raised ‘questions about privacy’.

Government figures show female workers are still paid 17.3pc less than male colleagues on average.

The Fawcett Society said ‘pay secrecy’ was partly to blame for the problem. But Edwin Morgan, director of policy at the IoD, said: ‘There could be benefits from making pay more visible but it raises questions around privacy that would need to be discussed with the whole of British society, rather than just being seen as a tool to tackle gender pay gaps.’