Resistance to equal pay auditing in the UK

This chapter scrutinises the political resistance to widespread mandatory equal pay auditing in the UK. The examination centres on the Equal Pay Audits Regulations 2014, which empower employment tribunals to mandate audits for employers violating equal pay laws. However, the limited issuance of such orders, influenced by wide-ranging exceptions and the infrequency of equal pay claims reaching a hearing, suggests that the impact of the 2014 Regulations is limited. The chapter outlines the potential of pay audits as enforcement tools, which could transform individual claims into steps towards addressing systemic pay inequity. It critiques the restricted circumstances in which UK tribunals can order equal pay audits – a trend that aligns with a broader pattern in the UK of delaying and diluting pay transparency measures to alleviate burdens on employers. While mandatory pay transparency measures emerge on the EU horizon, UK lawmakers’ desire to deregulate the labour market will likely continue to inhibit the introduction of mandatory equal pay auditing post-Brexit.