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Article: Behind the scenes Thirty years ago yesterday the Equal Pay Act received its Royal assent
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- May 30, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2000 Evening Standard - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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MOST experts would agree, the 1970 Equal Pay Act has been
cumbersome and unwieldy, but it has at least given the moral high
ground to women with determination and resources to fight for fair
reward. Last week the TUC held a celebration party, bringing the
doughty Baroness Castle who steered the Act through Parliament, face
to face with some of the dinner ladies, checkout operators and speech
therapists who struggled for equal pay and emerged (often years
later) victorious.
When we compare women's earnings with men's, women in Britain come
10th out of 15, in the EU league table. Full time women earn only 80
per cent of men on an hourly basis. The problem is that Britain's
equal pay laws are ...