Introducing mandatory workforce reporting would mean that employers are legally required to collect and publish data on who they employ, and how much they pay them. Collecting this data highlights to employers where they can improve on inclusion, and the obligation to publish their data places accountability on taking action on improving inclusion.
The TUC is made up of 48 affiliated unions, representing a total of 5.5 million members. TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Disabled workers shouldn’t be employed on a lower wage or on worse terms and conditions – or excluded from the jobs market altogether.”
“It’s time to introduce mandatory disability pay gap reporting to shine a light on inequality at work.”
“We know a lack of reasonable adjustments also prevents people from progressing at work, so we need to ensure Disabled people get the adjustments they need to stay in their jobs – without having to wait months for them to be considered.”
Three million Disabled workers earn less than £15 an hour, with Disabled people more likely to be on precarious, zero-hours contracts and twice as likely as non-disabled workers to be unemployed. Without urgent systemic change, Disabled workers will continue to be forced into lower pay and in-work poverty, on top of the impairments that societal ableism brings.
Bethany Bale, Campaigns and Policy Officer at Disability Rights UK, said “Gender Pay Gap reporting has been effective for several years in highlighting the barriers women face in employment – not only to their employers but also to the public. Having this data publicly available has not only placed long overdue accountability on employers to act, but it also clarifies to everyone the breadth of barriers faced when trying to access employment and the level of unacceptable inequality that women face in employment. It’s essential – particularly as the disability employment gap continues to grow, and as Disabled people are disproportionately impacted by the cost-of-living crisis - that we introduce mandatory disability workforce reporting, bringing the legal duties of employers in line with the duties they already hold for women.”
Last year, TUC’s research revealed that the disability pay gap rose to 17.2%, compared to 16.5% in 2021. This gap equates to £3,700 a year on average, or free labour for 54 days of the year. The gap is even larger for Disabled women at 35% (over £7,000 a year).
One of the first few steps, the TUC states, is mandatory Disability pay gap report and a £15 per hour minimum wage.
You can read Disability Rights UK’s response to last year’s Mandatory Workforce Monitoring consultation on our website, where we recommend that Disability workforce reporting must be mandatory for all large employers (250+ employees) and published publicly.