London’s gender pay gap is ‘unacceptable’

Sadiq Khan today hit out at the 'unacceptable' pay gap between men and women as he published full gender pay details of all organisations in the Greater London Authority (GLA) family – including Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. Earlier this year, the Mayor honoured a manifesto pledge by publishing gender pay data for all staff at City Hall and today he reiterated his call to all employers to close the pay gap for women after widening publication to include the GLA's 'functional bodies'.

The Mayor said: "Clearly we all need to do much more to put our own houses in order. I am determined to lead by example." He is asking all GLA group organisations to publish action plans to address the pay gap.

Gender pay data published today for the GLA’s functional bodies reveals that men and women working full-time are paid, on average, the following:

·        Greater London Authority
Women: £21.40 per hour; men: £22.44 per hour – a gender pay gap of 4.6 per cent

·        Transport for London
Women: £21.61 per hour; men: £26.75 per hour – a gender pay gap of 19.2 per cent

·        Metropolitan Police Service
Women: £19.34 per hour; men: £21.88 per hour – a gender pay gap of 11.6 per cent

·        Mayor’s Office for Crime and Policing
Women: £23.65 per hour; men: £24.45 per hour – a gender pay gap of 3.3 per cent

·        London Fire Brigade
Women: £16.17 per hour; men: £16.17 per hour – no gender pay gap

·        Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
Women: £23.58 per hour; men: £23.95 per hour – a gender pay gap of 1.5 per cent

·        London Legacy Development Corporation
Women: £21.28 per hour; men: £32.79 per hour – a gender pay gap of 35 per cent

·        London & Partners
Women: £20.00 per hour; men: £20.66 per hour – a gender pay gap of 3 per cent

The pay gap for full-time workers across the UK is 9.4 per cent and in London it is 11.9 per cent, according to the 2015 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ONS).

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “It is clear from the data I have published today that we still have plenty of work to do to close the gender pay gap across the Greater London Authority and I will be working with all functional bodies to do everything we can to promote gender equality.

"It is unacceptable that in 2016 in London, the most progressive city in the world, that your gender determines how much you get paid and your career prospects.

“I have vowed to be a proud feminist at City Hall, and I will remove any barriers to women by adopting the highest possible standards for fair pay, good working conditions and gender equality. 

“Clearly we all need to do much more to put our own houses in order. I am determined to lead by example and I hope businesses across the capital will follow suit as we strive to create a fairer society for all.”

Chief Executive of The Fawcett Society, Sam Smethers, said: “The Mayor is setting the pace on closing the pay gap across the capital and that is to be welcomed. He also has the power to influence what other employers do and drive home the message that gender pay gap reporting is coming.

“But reporting the gap is the first step. We need to focus on an action plan to close it and we look forward to working with the Mayor's team to make this a reality.”

Sadiq Khan’s plans to boost female representation at the most senior levels at City Hall include increasing the availability of part-time and flexible-working options and aiding career progression within those roles. City Hall also offers mentoring, career-support programmes and sponsorship for qualifications. It is training managers to ensure the recruitment process is as fair as possible and piloting ‘no name’ application forms.

He has published detailed pay data for all GLA group organisations, including pay gap data for part-time and full-time staff and pay gaps at every level of the organisation. He believes that this transparency is critical and allows the GLA to understand why the pay gap exists and how to take action to eliminate it.

Sadiq Khan has appointed women to a number of senior positions at City Hall: Valerie Shawcross as Deputy Mayor for Transport, Sophie Linden as Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Justine Simons as Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Shirley Rodrigues as Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy and Joanne McCartney as Statutory Deputy Mayor.

He also appointed Fiona Twycross as Chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and – most recently – Amy Lamé as the UK’s first Night Czar to champion the capital’s night-time economy.

Staffing split by gender (permanent or fixed-term roles):

-                 Greater London Authority: 795 (52 per cent women, 48 per cent men)
-                 Transport for London: 27,687 (23 per cent women, 77 per cent men)
-                 Metropolitan Police Service: 42,919 (34.4 per cent women, 65.6 per cent men)
-                 MOPAC: 113 (56.6 per cent women, 43.4 per cent men)
-                 LFB: 5,705 (13.4 per cent women, 86.6 per cent men)
-                 OPDC: 19 (57.9 per cent women, 42.1 per cent men)
-                 LLDC: 145 (65.5 per cent women, 34.5 per cent men)
-                 London & Partners: 161 (63 per cent women, 37 per cent men)

To view details of the gender pay gap audit visit www.london.gov.uk/gender-pay-audit.