MINISTERS must “step up” on the gender pay gap to avoid condemning another generation of women to low pay, unions urged today.

The gap between men’s and women’s pay is narrowing “at a snail’s pace” the TUC warned – despite the introduction of statutory monitoring by employers.

Tomorrow marks the deadline for companies with more than 250 employees to report on the gender pay gap in their workforce.

The TUC demanded to know what action the government plans to take to narrow the divide.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Working women deserve equal pay. But the gender pay gap is closing at a snail’s pace. 

“At current rates of progress, it will take more than 20 years to close it.

“That’s just not good enough. Ministers must step up, or we will consign yet another generation of women to lower pay.

“It’s clear that just publishing gender pay gaps isn’t working. Companies must be required to publish action plans to explain what steps they’ll take to close their pay gaps. 

“And these measures should be extended to ethnicity and disability as we know black and minority ethnic and disabled women face even larger pay gaps.”

Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of equality campaign organisation the Fawcett Society, said employers must go further than data sharing if there will be any meaningful progress to close the pay gap.

“We want this government to require every employer to create an action plan which sets out how they will improve gender equality in their workplace,” she said.

Ms Olchawski said the government lagged behind other European countries in making companies close the gender pay gap, and had failed to introduce mandatory reporting of pay difference based on ethnicity.

“Mandating gender reporting took us from thirty to thousands of employers paying attention to inequality – people of colour deserve the same focus,” she said.

“Reporting is a good way of identifying pay inequalities, but taking action is key. 

“We are calling on government and employers to do more to close pay gaps and create productive, thriving workplaces. 

“We want to see the introduction of mandatory intersectional ethnicity pay gap reporting, salary history questions ended in the recruitment process, more men supported to take parental leave, and flexible working as the default.”

The government’s Equalities Office was invited to comment.