by Ceren Sagir
in Blackpool Winter Gardens

A MINIMUM wage of £10 per hour can help address the pay gap for women in low-income roles, Usdaw said today.

Although there have been headlines focusing on the gender pay gap as a result of the new regulations requiring large employers to report on progress, the focus is often on women in high profile and high paid sectors, Usdaw reported.

Despite making up 59 per cent of respondents to the union’s Time for Better Pay research survey, only 37 per cent of those people being paid at least £10 per hour were women.

Usdaw’s Kiran Sheri from Fallowfield told the union’s annual delegate meeting today that under the Tory government, employment rights have “been slashed” and women are still being disproportionally affected despite years of campaigning.

“The government say there are a record number of women in employment, but counting numbers is not enough,” he said.

“We’re told that flexible work hours benefits work life balance but really it only benefits employers.”

Studies show that women are four times more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men are, Mr Sherri warned, calling for urgent action from the government.

“It is estimated that mental health funding needs to be doubled to meet physical health standards,” he said.

The impact that workplace issues such as low pay, insecure work and short hours – which disproportionately affect women – have on mental health was also outlined in Usdaw’s research.

Usdaw is demanding the government invest significant resources in mental health services which would include the £1 billion of funding promised by the Conservative government in January 2017.

Addressing the conference with tears, Usdaw member Margaret Palmer from Leicester central said she has been struggling to pay her bills and said having to live on universal credit is “really hard.”

“I feel awful, I’ve been going to a foodbank since 2013 because I can’t support myself,” she said.

“I can’t get extra hours at work. I’ve tried to get a second job to make ends meet.”

Usdaw is calling for a minimum wage of over £10 per hour to help address the gender pay gap for low-paid women workers.