Essay On Employment Law

Employment Law

Option A

Write a 2,000 word report in which you critically evaluate the function and operation of employment law in relation to equal pay.

What is Employment Law:

Employment law (EL) is the body of law which oversees the relationship between employers and their employees. Employment law is a broad field but key elements of employment law are the employment rights which are instructed upon both the employee and the employer. The Employment Law covers key elements such as Pay, Discrimination, Equality, Employment rights, responsibilities, health and safety etc.

Overview:

Employment law (EL) has been changed significantly and has brought changes since it came into force, It’s still very complex but good effort has been made to

To get a better understanding we look at the case of Diocese of Hallam Trustee v Connaughton (1995) Connaughton had worked as Director of music firm 1990 until she resigned in April 1994, her notice taking effect in Sep 1994. Her post was advertised at the salary of £13,434 per annum; however she had been paid £11,138 per annum. Eventually a male was appointed for the same role on a salary of £20,000 on 1st Jan 1995. EAT ruled that she was allowed to bring a case making the comparison with the pay of her successor. Another example is Kells v Pilkington plc. (2002) Kells was a research scientist and claimed that she did similar work to two male research scientists who had previously been employed by Pilkington, but was paid less than both of them. Although they had been employed more than six years earlier, she was still allowed to bring her claim in comparison to their pay (Daniels & Macdonald 2005, p.157). These are real case examples which illustrates gender pay gap at work.

Enormous frustration is understandable that businesses are not doing more to minimise inequality. Trevor Phillips, who chairs the Equality and Human Rights Commission, told The Observer: “At the current rate, it will take at least another two decades to close the pay gap. Women who work full time will earn on average pounds 330,000 less than a man over their working lives - that 's the price of a family home. It 's amazing we still think this is something that a decent society can live with” (Revill, 2008, p.