‘Society continues to undervalue women’s work. Labour must take action’

Women’s work is historically and systematically undervalued. This simple fact cannot be disputed. Whether it is in the hidden domestic work that still disproportionately falls on the shoulders of women or the persistence of low pay in women-dominated jobs, because of undervaluation or pay discrimination, women end up earning less than men. And their work is more routinely ignored.

The Equal Pay Act is an important piece of legislation. But it isn’t enough, and progress on equal pay simply isn’t happening. The next Labour government must live up to its commitments and right this wrong.

Every year that goes by without action means that women are more likely to have to work longer hours, struggle to cover childcare costs or stay in relationships that at best don’t make them happy and at worst leave them unsafe. Not having full economic empowerment leaves women, and any of their dependents, less economically free.

Without political will, we cannot tackle gender inequality at work

We shouldn’t shy away from saying that this economic imbalance isn’t because women work less than men. Often, the opposite is true. But the reality is that the structure of our society and our labour market depends on women working for less. Put simply, pay discrimination is rife and this means that companies and public services are being built and sustained on the back of wages stolen from working women. Hours of their lives they will not get back.

The only real solution is power being reclaimed by working women through campaigns for pay justice, but policy can play a key role in making that fight more accessible. But without political will, it can remain a theoretical decision. We can talk about more women in boardrooms or the gender pay gap, but this masks the problem.

Under the Conservatives, tribunals have been routinely underfunded, so access to justice has been delayed and denied for too many workers. This includes tens of thousands of working women pursuing equal pay cases. The delays can be so long that some women die before they ever see justice.

Labour must consign unequal pay to the history books

The amazing @cathpinder moving the motion on equal pay at #LabConf23 – equal pay must be at the heart of @UKLabour manifesto for government💪 pic.twitter.com/tdLWjnltWg

— GMB Politics (@GMBPolitics) October 7, 2023

At GMB, we aren’t afraid to take the fight to the employers on this issue. Whether it is the landmark equal pay fight in Asda or in local authorities right across the length and breadth of the UK, we will always stand up for women workers.

When women do work of equal value, they must be paid equally. Recognising the value of the work done predominately by women will be economic revolution in the UK. This is true for women in professional roles just as it is true for working class women’s work. We can’t keep ignoring this issue and allow another 50 years to pass with snail’s pace progress.

That’s why GMB is calling for these fundamental changes on equal pay. In the Labour Party, we have seen significant commitments in the NPF process. Our successful motion to Labour women’s conference today reconfirms these important priorities.

We must see an end to outsourcing as a way for councils and other companies to sidestep their legal obligation to pay women equally. We must see a regulation and enforcement body created, with the involvement of trade unions, to stamp out discriminatory pay practices wherever they exist. And the upcoming Labour manifesto – that will deliver a Labour government – must build on Barbara Castle’s legacy and commit to ending pay discrimination once and for all.

The labour movement’s historic goal has always been to redistribute wealth to working people. Working women must be front and centre in this fight. The next Labour government has a historic opportunity to resolve pay injustice and make unequal pay history. It must seize it.