Equal pay
Plain-English definitions for England and Wales. General information, not legal advice. Laws and figures change - always check the current position on GOV.UK.
Equal pay A claim under the Equality Act 2010 that a worker is entitled to the same contractual pay and terms as a comparator of the opposite sex doing equal work - the same work, work rated as equivalent, or work of equal value. It is distinct from a general sex discrimination claim and has its own 6-month time limit.
Also known as: equal pay claim, equal value
Related terms
- Direct discrimination
- Treating someone less favourably than others because of a protected characteristic - such as age, disability, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation - under the Equality Act 2010.
- Protected characteristic
- One of the nine characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Treating someone unfavourably because of one of these can be unlawful.
- Time limit (limitation period)
- The deadline for bringing a claim. For most employment tribunal claims it is 3 months less 1 day from the event you are complaining about, and you must notify ACAS to start Early Conciliation within that window. Statutory redundancy pay and equal pay claims have a 6-month limit.
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