UK workers may gain the right to see what colleagues earn
The Equality and Human Rights Commission wants workers to have a legal right to ask what colleagues are paid, and the Budget signals mandatory salary ranges in UK job adverts. Changes could arrive within months.
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UK workers could soon have a legal right to find out what their colleagues earn. On 28 October the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said employers should be forced to answer staff questions about pay for comparable jobs, within a specified deadline. Workers could ask about basic pay, hours, bonuses, overtime, shift premiums and performance-related pay. They could also request job evaluation records, salary benchmarks and a ranking of pay within a similar team.
The watchdog made the recommendation in its response to a government consultation on reforming equal pay law. It would revive a right that was abolished in 2014 as part of a drive to cut red tape for business. At present, employers do not have to answer these questions at all, and the EHRC warned that without a deadline, employers may delay or give evasive answers.
A possible ban on salary history
The EHRC also wants to stop employers asking candidates about their current salary or pay expectations. Employers in the UK are currently allowed to ask, although applicants are under no obligation to answer. EHRC chief executive John Kirkpatrick told the BBC that offering a competitive salary should not be allowed to create a pattern that discriminates.
The argument is simple. Pay that was set unfairly in an old job follows a worker into the new one. The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, has found that 58 per cent of women and 54 per cent of men felt questions about previous salary led to a lower offer.
The Budget adds momentum
The government is moving in the same direction. In the Autumn Budget on 28 October, Chancellor John Healey said he had heard calls for mandatory pay transparency and that the government will act soon to make sure women are paid and promoted fairly. The measure on the table would require employers to disclose salary ranges in job adverts.
For employers, the practical challenge is readiness. Research published by IRIS Software Group on 27 October found only 43 per cent of surveyed senior HR leaders said their pay bands and ranges were fit for purpose. Publishing ranges in job adverts can also expose gaps between what new hires are offered and what existing staff in similar roles are paid.
The wider reform programme is already on the calendar. From 30 October, employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work. On 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal falls to six months and the cap on compensation is removed.
What it means for jobseekers and employers
For anyone job hunting in the UK, the direction of travel is clear. Salary ranges in adverts would end the common practice of writing competitive salary or salary dependent on experience. Workers who suspect they are paid less than peers would get a formal route to check, backed by a legal deadline rather than a verbal brush-off.
For employers, including multinationals hiring in the UK, the UK move sits alongside the EU pay transparency directive, which already requires pay ranges in job adverts across EU member states and gender pay gap reporting at some firms. Swiss and Irish employers recruiting into the UK should expect one standard across their listings rather than country-by-country practice.
Nothing is final yet. The legislation, timetable and detailed rules for the UK salary range requirement have not been confirmed. But with the EHRC, the Treasury and a live consultation all pushing the same way, the practical advice is to audit pay bands now and get ready to publish.
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