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News from The Equality Trust (July 2022)

Latest news and updates from The Equality Trust

July has seen exciting changes at The Equality Trust alongside much progress in our current research projects and campaigns. 

As always, we are delighted to update you on the ongoing progress as well as providing information on how you can get involved.

#EqualPay50 Campaign

Following the successful launch of our Achieving Equal Pay in your Workplace toolkit, we have continued our work to help support employees, workers, union representatives and members to negotiate policy changes that will lead to fairer more inclusive workplaces.

Our Senior Campaigns Officer Sophi Berridge is meeting with WEN Wales and Unite Wales to discuss equal pay policy and how we might work with the Welsh Government to implement changes around gender pay gap legislation.

The inequality of disability… the new normal

Come along to a joint event with Disability Rights UK, Disability Policy Centre and The Equality Trust, on Wednesday, 14th September 2022, at 6:00 pm.

Join a distinguished panel of speakers as they reflect on the lessons we have learnt from the pandemic; how can we avoid going back to life before and identify solutions that can be put in place to support disabled groups now and into the future. 

The panel will discuss social, policy and economic issues affecting the living standards of disabled groups and what more we need to do to ensure that they are supported in times of crisis. 

Find out more or sign up here.

CEO Remuneration and Economic Inequality

We have now completed our attendance of FTSE-100 AGMs. Throughout June and July, staff and supporters attended the AGMs of; Sainsbury’s, SSE, Ocado, Whitbread and Entain, asking them to challenge sky-high executive pay.

Following attendance at Ocado and SSE AGMs’ we are now continuing a dialogue on the issue of their very high CEO:median employee pay ratio. We hope to set out recommendations for these companies to commit to a new settlement in the workplace that provides a good standard of living for all – you can read our recommendations in a joint open letter with High Pay Centre and the TUC here.

Everyday Inequality

Share your story or experiences of how inequality impacts your everyday life.

On our Everyday Inequality platform, we work to amplify the stories and voices of ordinary people experiencing inequality.

Through these stories, we hope to represent a diverse group of voices and stories reflecting how inequality impacts everyday life. While charities and think tanks produce research and reports on inequality, what is missing from the debate is the voices of those who live with its effects every day.

The platform helps to explore what the experience of inequality is like for different people and how it affects each of our lives.

Can you or someone you know tell your story through the platform? To contribute, please complete the form below or contact Jimi.Stanford@equalitytrust.org.uk

Local Groups and Activists 

As a result of new funding opportunities from Barrow Cadbury Trust, our Local Groups Organiser, Emma Marks, will see some changes to her role. Emma’s new role as Socio-economic duty (SED) project officer will see her focusing on supporting Birmingham City Council to implement the SED. She will be working with Council employees, elected officers and those with lived experience of the sharp end of socio-economic inequality. 

The new change will see Local Groups projects and queries spread across the wider Equality Trust team. Emma will be in touch with all existing Local Groups with further details on the changes to her role. If you need any further information, do get in touch at emma.marks@equalitytrust.org.uk.

Working with Young People 

This month our Senior Campaigns Officer, Sophi Berridge, delivered newly devised lessons on inequality at an Oxford school. Building on our existing schools resources and drawing from our current Equal Pay and CEO Remuneration campaigns, these resources enabled students to understand the scale of socio-economic inequality in the UK, alongside the drivers, solutions and actions they can take. 

You can view our published resources on our website here.  

We look forward to working with you as always and would love you to get involved in our projects. If you are interested in hearing more about our projects on the Socio-Economic Duty, Equal and Fair Pay and young people and inequality please get in touch!

The Equality Trust Team

Ps please consider helping our work go further by supporting our work with a monthly or one-off donation.