The Guardian Exclusive: #PayMeToo campaign launched to close gender pay gap

By Alexandra Topping

2 April 2018

A group of female MPs have joined forces to encourage women to hold their employers to account and demand action over the gender pay gap, as the deadline for reporting nears.

Led by Labour MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, MPs will on Monday launch an online campaign called #PayMeToo, which aims to give working women advice on how to tackle the gender pay where they work. 

Across the UK a whiff of revolution is in the air. As companies report their gender pay gap and the disparity between male and female pay is revealed, disgruntled employees are asking what they can do to force their firms to take action.

All private companies with more than 250 employees must by law reveal the difference in hourly rate paid to men and women before midnight on Wednesday 4 April. As the public sector deadline approached on Friday, it was revealed that nine out of ten public sector employers pay men more than women, with women paid on average 14% less than male colleagues.

The social media campaign aiming to keep pressure up on employers will launch alongside a #PayMeToo website on Monday. It aims to ensure that women know they have the right to address pay issues at work, as well offering advice for what to do next, including working with trade unions and women’s networks.

Read the full article in The Guardian.