The principles of discrimination law apply just as much to discrimination in pay as they do to any other aspect of an employer's personnel practices. An employer must not discriminate against an employee directly or indirectly on the grounds of sex, race, age, religion or sexual orientation.
Nor must an employer treat a disabled employee unfavourably on the ground of his or her disability or for a reason that relates to his or her disability, unless in the latter case it has objective justification for doing so. Unjustified discrimination in pay against both part-timers and fixed-term employees is also unlawful.
It is important to remember that wage discrimination legislation and the Equal Pay Act protect not only employees but also agency workers and other workers, including the self-employed, who have a contract with an employer to carry out work personally.
EEF helps its members deal with issues of pay discrimination and equal pay, ensuring that guidance is given and support is offered should a claim be made by an employee.