Lawyers are urging small business owners to ensure their salary systems are fair following a glut of equal pay claims in the public sector.
According to legal experts, a raft of high-profile equal pay disputes in councils and hospitals that have seen public sector organisations paying out millions in compensation payments to female workers could trigger similar claims against small firms.
Last year the Government stumped up £455 million for councils to deal with equal pay claims from women workers. To avoid the expense and disruption of similar claims, small business owners should undertake an equal pay audit to root out potential problems and guard against future claims based on allegedly unfair pay or grading.