By Fatma Younis
Andy Burnham has announced that employers will be legally required to publish salaries on job advertisements, a measure the government calls a “small fix” to improve people’s daily lives. The prime minister said the requirement would help young people and women achieve more equal pay by ending the frustration of applying for jobs without knowing the salary.
Salary transparency measure
Burnham said the move would address the frustration of job seekers who encounter vague terms such as “competitive salary.” Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, welcomed the change, noting that research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found less than half of employers always publish salary ranges and fewer than one in five always publish specific salaries.
Other political developments
In other developments, Burnham said he wants to “recast” the UK’s deal to cede control of the Chagos Islands after resistance from Washington, which suggested modelling the agreement on the US Greenland deal with Denmark. Labour MP Shabana Mahmood’s proposed migration changes have drawn warnings from within her own party that they could harm women and children. Meanwhile, the EU is seeking a firmer pledge from the British government to guarantee European students discounted university tuition fees ahead of a summit this month.
