Labour staff from ethnic minorites are paid 9pc less

LABOUR paid its black and minority staff an average of nine per cent less than white workers in 2022, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

The party’s first report into its ethnicity pay gap found the average earnings of white employees were “higher than that of a member of staff from a Bame (black, Asian, minority ethnic) group”.

It has also pledged to increase its proportion of minority staff as an “immediate” priority.

The party said the figures were based on a “snapshot” of its workforce last April. If elected, Sir Keir Starmer’s party would oblige large companies to produce reports to ensure “full transparency” around the scale of pay discrepancies.

A second annual Labour report released at the same time found Labour had eliminated its gender pay gap altogether, with women on its payroll receiving an average of two per cent more than male employees.

In an email, Martin Beecroft, Labour’s executive director of people and talent, described its gender pay gap as “now positive because women are on average paid more than men”.

Mr Beecroft wrote: “Our immediate priorities are to increase the proportion of BAME staff through active recruitment… [and] to increase the number of women and Bame people in senior leadership positions.

“To help us do this, in the new year we will take a more active approach to talent management and acquisition.”

Anneliese Dodds, the Labour chairman, said the party was “immensely proud” of eliminating its gender pay gap and that publishing its ethnicity pay gap for the first time represented a “vital step”. Ms Dodds said: “While our ethnicity pay gap is better than the national average, we know there is more to do to improve black, Asian and minority representation, especially among senior staff.

“Labour is determined to close these pay gaps, not just among our own staff, but in society as well.”

Mr Beecroft added that Labour was working with charity Patchwork to offer apprenticeships and internships aimed at minority applicants.

Further documents circulated to staff revealed the party had organised “training for all staff, including recruiting managers, on unconscious bias” as part of diversity and inclusion efforts.