Public and Commercial Services Union

Promoting equality and tackling discrimination has always been a major part of PCS's work in negotiations on pay and conditions.

Our work in this area has included challenges to pay inequalities and discrimination through employment tribunal cases, where we have had notable success, resulting in better pay and progression systems for members.

It is our aim to make sure that equal pay audits are central to the pay bargaining process and to extend the reviews beyond gender and part time status to include race and disability. This builds on the work done previously and advocated in the Equality Act 2010.

PCS guidance is intended as a tool kit for negotiators and reps to use in assessing the progress being made by the employer towards eliminating pay gaps and tackling discriminatory practices. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) toolkit should also be used.

This assessment of progress will play a vital part in judging the extent to which the employer's pay proposals meet the requirements of PCS's national pay claim.

This section includes:

• Purpose of reviews and auditing
• Carrying out an equal pay audit
• Danger points to watch out for
• Model policy statement