Last year we asked you to support Kay's petition. Kay had been working for years as a chef without knowing that a man doing exactly the same job as her was getting paid £6k more - earning £22k. While she successfully won an equal pay case, she recognised that the culture of pay secrecy in the UK meant many other women were suffering pay discrimination without knowing about it.
On 20th October, Stella Creasy MP will lay the Equal Pay Implementation and Claims Bill (EPIC) in Parliament as a Ten-Minute Rule Bill. In order for it to make the biggest impact possible, we need as much support as possible. We're asking you to write to your MP today to ask them to support the Bill and give women the Right to Know. We've created a tool to make it even easier for you to ask for your MP's support.
Although it's been 50 years since the Equal Pay Act was introduced, it's still not fit for purpose. Many women like Kay are still paid less than their male counterparts and we know this has to change.
The culture of pay secrecy has allowed pay discrimination to persist - and that's what we're trying to tackle. With the appropriate safeguards in place, someone who suspects they are being paid less than their male counterpart will be able to request this information and therefore be able to tackle the issue without going through the stress and expense of a court process. But for this to happen, we need your MP to support the Equal Pay Implementation and Claims Bill on the 20th October. Will you write to them now?
In solidarity and determination, The Fawcett Society Team
