London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

UK top listed firms targeted in biggest ethnicity pay gap push

UK top listed firms targeted in biggest ethnicity pay gap push

The pressure will build on companies gathering together shareholders at their annual general meetings (AGMs) this year.
The UK’s biggest listed companies are set to be pressed on how they are tackling ethnicity pay gaps in the largest shareholder push to-date.

The pressure will build on companies gathering together shareholders at their annual general meetings (AGMs) this year.

ShareAction, a responsible investment charity representing shareholders, told the PA news agency it plans to quiz some 25 businesses on their ethnicity pay gap policies at their AGMs.

It will be most amount of questions ever put forward to companies, ShareAction said, with the likes of JD Wetherspoon, Domino’s, and Primark owner Associated British Foods coming under scrutiny.

Companies will be pushed to publicise details of the gap in pay between white and non-white workers, which unlike gender pay gap reporting for employers with more than 250 staff, is currently voluntary.

"It is well established that there is a systemic problem in income inequality between minority workers and the wider workforce in many of the UKs companies"

Pay gaps show the difference in the average take-home pay between one group compared to another, and do not mean that people are paid different amounts for doing the same job.

Compiling reports can help tackle racial inequality in the workplace and improve inclusion by holding employers to account, campaigners argue.

Kohinoor Choudhury, senior project officer for ShareAction’s “Good Works” campaign, told PA: “It is well established that there is a systemic problem in income inequality between minority workers and the wider workforce in many of the UK’s companies.

“Ethnic minority workers are far more likely to be in the lowest paid jobs, living in poverty and earning less than white British employees.

“Asking companies at their AGMs to collect and publish data on their ethnicity pay gap should deliver the transparency that will promote action and an end to the iniquity of differential pay by race that companies have turned a blind eye to for far too long.”

Just 3% of the UK workforce is employed by companies that publish their ethnicity pay gap, according to Business In The Community (BITC), an organisation backed by the King.

Last month, BITC wrote letters to the Prime Minister and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, asking them to work together to make the reporting mandatory.

Meanwhile, some companies which already publicise the data, such as London Stock Exchange Group and Aviva, will be pushed to go further and break down ethnicity pay gaps by ethnicity, ShareAction said.

It follows a campaign launched by the charity after the murder of George Floyd in the US, sparking the international Black Lives Matter movement.

It initially targeted lower wage sectors in light of the cost of living crisis, but has expanded this year to include a broader range of employees.

Most companies targeted will be holding their AGMs next month.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×