STUC supports Equal Pay Day

October 30th 2009

STUC supports Equal Pay Day

October 30th 2009

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) Women’s Committee today (Friday 30 October) welcomed Equal Pay Day across the UK. The Fawcett Society campaign marks a national day of action to tackle the gender pay gap. The gender pay gap of 17.1% means that after 30 October, women work the equivalent of the rest of the year for free.

Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary, said:

“The trade union movement has been at the forefront of the struggle for equal pay. It is a national disgrace that the gender pay gap is still a reality for working women and their families.

“Unequal pay is a direct cause of poverty for women and children and plagues women into retirement, with only a third of women qualifying for a full state pension. Women are also battling against the ‘motherhood penalty’ when they combine work with caring responsibilities.”

Pauline Rourke, Chair of STUC Women’s Committee, said,

"The STUC Women's Committee recognises that women still predominate in low-paid jobs and that this occupational segregation is a significant cause of the gender pay gap. The work that women do needs to be properly valued if we are to win the equal pay we deserve.”

ENDS

For further information contact

Ann Henderson 0141 337 8100