Campaigners urge Andy Burnham to tackle unequal pay to get more young people into work

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plans to encourage more young people into work will only succeed if unequal pay is tackled, campaigners have claimed.

Fair Pay UK, which is campaigning for equal pay for supermarket workers, says many young people will remain reluctant to enter the workforce while pay inequality continues across several industries. The comments come after Mr Burnham announced reforms to post-school education and training on 27 July, saying Britain should value "the hard hat as much as the graduation cap".

The campaign group is backing multi-billion-pound equal pay claims against Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, arguing that hundreds of thousands of current and former supermarket workers may have been paid less than colleagues carrying out work of equal value.

Nate Barber, lead lawyer for Fair Pay UK and a partner at Harcus Parker, said the Prime Minister's plans could only succeed if workers were rewarded fairly. He said: “We’re excited to see Prime Minister Andy Burnham highlight the importance of the financial stability of millions of young people across the UK who are trying to earn an honest living.

“But in reality, we want to see change that puts cash in the pockets of all those people. Over the years, many people have been promised the dream of working hard and reaping the benefits of it, but time and time again, we see big business taking advantage of honest employees.

“It’s no wonder that almost a million teenagers are not inspired to accept that deal.”

Fair Pay UK was launched in July to help former and current supermarket workers - including those in the West Midlands - find out whether they may have been underpaid compared with colleagues doing work requiring the same level of skill and effort.

The campaign follows a series of high-profile equal pay cases in the retail sector, including claims brought by former Tesco employees in 2021 over alleged pay disparities between comparable roles.

Barber added: “If we want a fairer society, then that has to be applied across the board. “The reality is that unequal pay is still rife across the job market, and while that remains unresolved, people will take any promises from the Government to shake up the workforce with a pinch of salt.

“If the new Prime Minister really wants to see change, then he will join us in a shared mission to make sure his voters are treated fairly if they decide to skip university and jump straight into work.”

To check your eligibility, visit the Fair Pay UK website.