Mayor to tackle London’s BAME pay gap

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has pledged to lead by example on London’s black, Asian and minority ethnicity (BAME) pay gap, as part of his drive to tackle inequality. Sadiq plans to publish data on the pay gap affecting BAME employees in City Hall and across the Greater London Authority (GLA) group, as well as setting out how he will bring about changes to address this.

Last year the Mayor fulfilled a manifesto commitment by publishing a gender pay audit for organisations across the GLA family, including Transport for London (TfL) and the Metropolitan Police, along with changes to the GLA’s recruitment practices. The audit found that at that time, women employed at City Hall on a full-time contract were paid an average of £21.40 per hour, while their male counterparts earned on average £22.44 – equating to a pay gap of 4.6 per cent (compared to 11.9 per cent for all full-time workers in London).

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m proud that London is one of the most diverse and progressive cities in the world – the capital has been at the forefront of the fight for equal rights and against injustices in this country for generations.

“We rightly champion the richness that diversity brings to our city but too often some of those in the BAME community earn less than other Londoners. As long as this unfairness continues, it’s a scar on our city and I’m determined to do all I can to tackle it.

“The causes can be deep-seated and the effects harm not only the individuals but also their families and their prospects for the future. Tackling this is so critical to addressing unfairness and inequality – which is why I simply refuse to stand by and let this go on.

“That’s why I will soon publish full details of the ethnicity pay gap at the Greater London Authority along with an action plan of how we will tackle this problem head on.

“I will be leading by example from City Hall and I’m urging all London’s businesses to join me in doing what they can to right this injustice.”

Sandra Kerr OBE, Race Equality Director, Business in the Community, said: “It’s fantastic that the Mayor of London is publishing City Hall BAME pay gap data. Monitoring and publishing ethnicity data is critical for organisations to identify any gaps and measure progress against them, and doing so demonstrates the Mayor’s commitment to drive the diversity agenda forward.”

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Matthew Ryder, said: “The Mayor is determined to take a lead in tackling discrimination and that is why we are soon going to be publishing details of the ethnicity pay gap at City Hall. If we are going to find out where there is unfairness within our organisations and how to address it, then collating and publishing information about ethnicity pay differences is a critical first step.

“I hope other public and private organisations follow the Mayor’s lead. We need an accurate picture of what the problem is so that we can create a fair working environment for everyone, appropriate for a diverse and open global city.”