Equal Pay Legislation at the Work Place in the United Kingdom: A Critique
Enna, Agu Emmanuel

Abstract
Equal Pay amongst workers has been a major factor of debate between employers and employees. The advocacy of workers in most developed countries is that workers‟ salaries should be equal amongst their comparators. This has led to the clamour for equality of terms in the contract of employment between workers carrying out the same kind of work, and equality of terms of contract of employment for workers whose work is rated as equivalent to other comparators. This study is aimed at critically examining some equal pay legislations, most especially in the United Kingdom and how such legislation have partially failed to bring about equal pay at the work place. The study considered different key concepts, such as, equal pay, equality of terms, comparator, like work, work rated as equivalent and work of equal value. In considering these concepts in relation to equal pay, reference has been made to different legislations such as the Equal Pay Act of 1970, Equality Act of 2010, Pensions Act of 1995, Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 and the Equal Pay (amendment) regulation of 1983. In order to achieve the aim of this study, some cases were also critically analyzed to answer the question whether or not these legislations and cases have brought about equal pay at the work place, especially between male and female comparators. In addition to the above, this study criticizes the United Kingdom‟s legislation on equal pay and basically sex discrimination at the work place in the United Kingdom, whereby men tend to get paid higher wages then their female comparators carrying out the same kind of work. This has given rise to the clamour for equal pay amongst workers in the United Kingdom. This study establishes that equal pay legislation in the United Kingdom has, to an extent, partially failed to bring about equal pay between employees carrying out like work and work rated as equivalent, while considering factors such as the different duties carried out by workers, and at different hours of the day and also the different responsibilities carried out by workers. Hence, a need to reform such laws.

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