BRITAIN staged its first ever Ethnicity Pay Gap Day event today as official statistics revealed a shocking gap in levels of pay based on ethnicity.

The difference in pay between ethnic minority groups and white workers in London is 23.8 per cent, according to reports from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In Yorkshire and the Humber 12.7 per cent, in Scotland 10.3 per cent, while Wales has Britain’s lowest ethnicity pay gap of 1.3 per cent.

Today’s day of action was organised by the Ethnicity Pay Campaign, which was founded by Dianne Greyson.

Among the group’s aims is the creation of legislation to make employers analyse and record pay differences based on ethnicity, in the same way that gender pay gaps are examined, and action on achieving equal pay.

Ms Greyson said: “Surprisingly many people don’t realise there is a gap, nor how big it actually is.

“It is hoped Ethnicity Pay Gap Day will change that. It’s a day not only to raise awareness about the issue nationally, but also for people and organisations to come together in solidarity to urge the government to make ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory.

“Companies need to explore their ethnicity pay gaps and why they exist. They also need to engage black, Asian and minority ethnic staff on how to address those gaps. 

“These conversations will help companies to get their staff on board to kick-start the process of collating ethnicity pay gap data, required for ethnicity pay gap reporting, much in the same way as the gender pay gap.”