Thompsons Solicitors’ equal pay practice lead, Caroline Underhill, appeared on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show to discuss gender issues and equal pay in the workplace.

The discussion came in light of figures released by the Office for National Statistics in October 2017, highlighting a gender pay gap of 9.1 per cent, as well as the resignation of Carrie Gracie, former editor of BBC China, who cited gender pay inequality as a reason for her departure.

Speaking in her interview, Caroline said: “In the future, we should look at trying to make the procedure [of making an equal pay compensation claim] simpler. We should look at trying to make the law simpler, and we should look at placing greater emphasis on pay transparency and negotiation with employers, because one of the reasons that we don’t have many cases going through to full hearing is the length of time it takes to get to a final resolution in an equal pay case. 11 years is not uncommon.”

Caroline also discussed the responsibilities of employers, saying they need to be “much more transparent, not just about what individuals are paid, but why they are paid what they are paid, what the rate is for the job and what makes somebody worth more than another.”

Thompsons Solicitors’ is one of the UK’s leading employment law firms and has significant experience in representing clients in equal pay claims, supporting an average of 60,000 equal pay claims each year. It has worked on many landmark cases, including to the highest UK courts, to ensure clients receive the same pay as colleagues who do the same job, regardless of gender.

To watch Caroline’s interview in full, visit the BBC website.