Gender pay gap rises by 30% in Scotland
Women in Scotland can now expect to earn a “scandalous” £3000 less per year than men according to Scotland’s largest trade union body as the gender pay gap rose by 30%.
Using Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings data, the STUC has uncovered a “staggering” rise in the mean pay gender pay gap from 6.4% in 2023 to 8.3% in 2024. While the typical man saw an increase of a £1 to their pay pack, the typical woman only saw their pay go up by 74 pence. The data is a significant reversal of previous trends showing the pay gap was narrowing. The typical woman in Scotland earns £16.74 an hour, while the typical man earns £18.44 an hour.
The analysis comes as Unison local government workers continue their dispute on pay and conditions with three-quarters of the local government workforce being female.
With the UK Government Budget allocating £1.5 billion in additional funding for the Scottish Government, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer has urged government ministers to “pay up for women”.
Commenting, Ms Foyer said:
“It’s simply staggering and scandalous that, despite progress having been made, the gender pay gap in Scotland has risen by 30%. Women can now expect to take home an inexcusable £3000 less than their male counterparts.
“With the gap growing more in the public sector than the private sector, it confirms entirely what trade unions have long been calling for: public sector workers deserve better pay.
“The Scottish Government must pay up for women. With three-quarters of the local government workforce being female and with over £1.5 billion having landed into the lap of the Scottish Government as a result of the UK Government’s Budget, there is simply no excuse for them to ignore the voices of women workers any longer.
“Ministers must return to the negotiating table. Our public sector workers deserve a wage that represents their worth and it’s entirely within the power of the Scottish Government to make that happen.
END
Notes to editors:
Briefing on Scotland’s Gender Pay Gap is attached and available here - https://www.stuc.org.uk/resources/briefing-on-scotlands-gender-pay-gap.pdf
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