Thought it was now

Anyone who says men and women should not be paid the same rate for the same work is stupid, in my opinion.

And given that the equal pay laws have been around for a long time now, it shouldn't matter whether the claim cut off is six months, six years or six hundred years. Firms have had enough time to get used to it, let's face it.

Equal pay is an easy concept when you are talking about waiting tables or stacking shelves.

As someone else has pointed out, quite a lot of jobs will have pay bands, and the employees will be remunerated depending on qualifications and experience. Even though both are doing substantively the same work.

The place I work operates a pay band system based on time served. The person whom I share an office with, who happens to be female, has been around longer and is paid a few thousand more than me for no other reason than she has been here longer. We do exactly the same job. Should I launch an equal pay claim?

Lord Falconer has already been in the press saying that this will lead to 'billions of pounds worth of claims'. Get ready for huge council tax increases as your local council gets taken to the cleaners, by the cleaners It's already started: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20080052

Lord Falconer has already been in the press saying that this will lead to 'billions of pounds worth of claims'. Get ready for huge council tax increases as your local council gets taken to the cleaners, by the cleaners It's already started: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20080052

Same here, we have grades of pay scales and you move up them with experience, professional status and service, starting at 80% of full grade. There are a few women who earn less than me for much the same job and a few who earn more.