Equal Pay (Public Services)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16 May 1952.

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Photo of Mr Walter Padley Mr Walter Padley , Ogmore 12:00, 16 May 1952

The result was continued pressure on the Government and a considerable strengthening of the declaration in our party manifesto at the last Election. Nevertheless, much remains to be done. I was pleased to hear my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock refer to this issue in association with other issues, because I do not believe that those of us who not only stand for this principle but stand for its immediate implementation should dodge the issues.

Reference has been made to the implementation of this Motion costing £25 million a year. Whilst that might be the cost from the standpoint of the national Exchequer, the cost in implementing the principle not only in the public service but outside as well would be considerably more. I want it made perfectly clear that I am not prepared to regard professional women in the public service as having a prior claim over women engaged in British industry generally. Indeed, on the ground of social justice one might make a case for the lower-paid distributive workers—and the Union of which I am President has 140,000 women members—having a priority over the professions. We must link The problem in the professions with the general position in industry.

Here I will say to the hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for the Isle of Ely that progress towards equal pay for equivalent work has always been more speedy the greater the crisis that Britain faced. The first great period of progress towards the realisation of equal pay was the First World War and the two years that followed. The second great leap forward was during the Second World War and the two years that followed. I have figures here for the distributive trade, which I know best.