The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report was published recently. On page 116 you will find information on the Ethnicity Pay Gap. This section seeks to address the role of the organisation to report their Ethnicity Pay Gap if they want too. It goes on further to imply that there is no real pay gap. Using the NHS as an example they state; In 2019, the average monthly basic pay of (full-time equivalent) Asian men overall, was £3,864, greater than that of White men (£3,145) who in turn earnt more than Black men (£2,646).247 Similarly, Asian women (£2,717) earned more than White women (£2,491), who in turn earned more than Black women (£2,320).248 There is a disparity here but more information is required to understand why and where this disparity exists. The high number of Asian groups at consultant level in the NHS is likely to explain some of this difference.
Let’s contrast the above comments with the article in The Guardian written by Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation on 11th April 2021. He presented evidence on the research findings conducted by LSE and Resolution Foundation. In this article it shows a different picture on Ethnicity Pay Gap. The article identifies that the Ethnicity Pay Gap haven’t closed in decades and said, last week’s report concluded the opposite. Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani men earn 10%-25% less than similar white men. They go on further to say that their findings were ignored by the commission.
The ONS reported in 2020 that there is a 23.8% pay gap in the London, 12.7% in Yorkshire and 10.3% in Scotland. These figures are damning and show that the direction of change is not a positive one. It doesn’t help that the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has decided to take the approach that no such gap exists. By doing so, the commission has further hindered any progress that could have been made and have given comfort to organisation to continue taking a laissez-faire attitude.
Lord Woolley who was previously the head of No 10’s Race disparity Unit, said: “The Ethnicity Pay Gap legislation is the lowest hanging fruit to acknowledge and tackle race discrimination in the workplace, and in a SKY news report, Baroness McGregor-Smith said “nice words are not enough to address the Ethnicity Pay Gap”.
The #Ethnicity Pay Gap campaign has been in existence for 3 years. Last month we launched the Ethnicity Pay Gap campaign website
It was important for me to provide a place for people to see the real reality of the #Ethnicity Pay Gap and provide support. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities did not acknowledge the gaps in pay that exists between Black, Asian & other ethnic groups against their white counterparts. It didn’t even suggest mandatory reporting which is a completely missed opportunity to address this issue.
It is not enough for the government to give recommendation to companies who have the appetite to report their Ethnicity Pay Gap, the government needs to take the lead to make it mandatory to report as they have the Gender Pay Gap. The government may wish to ignore the existence of structural racism, however, it is evident just by the fact the Ethnicity Pay Gap exists. If the government will not do anything about this issue, I will continue to campaign for action and get support from individuals and organisations to ensure this issue is raised in parliament. 100,000+ people signed the petition to make Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting mandatory. A debate in parliament is needed now, we cannot accept anything less.
I have learn’t on my #Ethnicity Pay Gap campaign journey, many people know the gap exists but seek to diminish the importance of rectifying the injustice of the situation but are happy to support initiatives around the gender pay gap. Data is produced to disguise the severity of the situation, mixing figures to suggest that in fact, there is no real pay gap. I have also learn’t some people want to educate themselves to understand the depths of this issue and will engage in discussion around how to close the Ethnicity Pay Gap. More people are engaging and more support is being given to the #EthnicityPayGap campaign. The tide is changing and the campaign is at the forefront of this change.
Take the opportunity to join the Ethnicity Pay Gap discussion – Getting to grips with your ethnicity data – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ethnicitypaygap-webinar-get-to-grips-with-your-ethnicity-data-tickets-145905381925