Other news: Issue 8 - January 2025 | Accord Magazine

Paula Tegg - Assistant General Secretary at Accord — Paula Tegg, Assistant General Secretary at Accord

Breakthrough for Women at Work: A Partnership with Real Impact

Accord continues to deliver progress for women at work, as discussed at a recent meeting of LBG’s women colleagues’ network.

At a recent “Working Together” session of the Breakthrough network, Paula Tegg, Assistant General Secretary at Accord, shared how the union and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) are making strides to support women in the workplace.

With over three decades of experience, Paula highlighted Accord’s ongoing commitment to improving the work environment, particularly for women juggling work and personal responsibilities.

Accord has been instrumental in advocating for women’s rights at work, from pioneering efforts in the early 2000s to secure pension rights for part-time female staff, to ongoing battles for pay equality.

Thanks to collaborative efforts with LBG, the gender pay gap has improved by more than 6% since 2017, though on the call Paula recognised that there's still more work to be done.

"We’ll keep up the challenge," she promised, pointing to recent successes including a significant compensation settlement for a pay inequality case.

Menopause support has also seen remarkable advancements. Through a joint working group, Accord has helped shape LBG’s Menopause Promise, deliver manager training, and enhance access to specialised support. Paula commended LBG’s openness, especially the support from CEO Charlie Nunn, who raised awareness with a video message. Additionally, menopause-friendly career wear and free period products are now part of LBG's wellbeing resources, thanks to Accord's advocacy.

Paula also shared other wins: improved maternity pay, new provisions for foster carers, job-sharing options, and better support for those in later career stages. While challenges remain, such as the push for more flexible working hours, the partnership is a clear force for positive change at LBG.

Ending her talk, Paula invited non-members to consider joining Accord, emphasising the difference member support makes in these achievements.

Through Accord’s efforts, women at LBG are not just seen but supported – a testament to what’s possible when unions and employers work together for meaningful change.

Equal Pay Day

Every year, the Fawcett Society marks the date when, based on the gender pay gap, women in the UK stop being paid compared to men. In 2024, Equal Pay Day fell on 20 November, reflecting a gender pay gap of 11.3% across the economy.

In LBG, at the end of the last financial year, the mean gender pay gap was 25.9%, a decline of 0.8% on the previous year. That means that, on average, women in the business get paid 74 pence for every pound men get paid.

In TSB, the mean gender pay gap in 2024 was 25.5%, down from 26.9% in 2023, also equivalent to women getting paid 74 pence for every pound men get paid.

These pay gaps are significantly higher than the average across the economy. While the national Equal Pay Day fell on 20 November, for both LBG and TSB it would have fallen in the last week of September.

Gender pay gaps are generally quite high in the finance sector, as a result of what’s often called “occupational segregation”. In finance, women are likely to hold jobs in lower-paid grades, while senior leadership roles are disproportionately held by men. It’s this inequality, rather than men and women being paid different amounts for the same work, that mainly drives persistently high gender pay gaps across the businesses.

Accord is continuously working with both companies to ensure that action plans for pay parity are developed and implemented, covering everything from recruitment and promotion to dignity at work and fair treatment for part-timers. And though it’s relatively rare, we represent women members who feel they’re being paid less than a male colleague for doing equivalent work.

We also work with sister unions and other organisations to support improvements in gender equality across the economy. In November, as a member of the Equal Pay Alliance, Accord co-signed a letter to government ministers, calling for action to address labour market inequality and improve employment rights.

Any members with concerns about unfair pay, employment rights or dignity at work should speak to their rep.

Equal Pay Alliance Calls for Action on Pay Gaps

Delivering equality in employment is essential for the UK government to achieve its missions of kickstarting economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity. The Equal Pay Alliance is clear that a new deal for working people must address intersecting inequalities for protected groups. We would advise that a laser focus on women’s employment rights is enacted. There is evidence to suggest that women’s employment is characterised by low pay, discrimination and harassment, underemployment, and precarious work. These inequalities are particularly acute for racially-minoritised women, Disabled women, younger and older women, and single mothers."
Equal Pay Alliance

View full letter

Supporting Carers: TSB Launches KareHero

TSB Bank continues to lead the way in supporting employees with caring responsibilities by introducing KareHero, a brand-new addition to its carer’s support package.

KareHero will offer guidance, advice, and 1:1 support to the eight percent of TSB colleagues who juggle work and caregiving responsibilities.

Staff have full access to caregiving support provided by KareHero, which offers a range of services including personalised support from hospital discharge, care needs assessment, care benefits funding review and application support, legal issues such as power of attorney, and help with finding, arranging, and funding appropriate care on behalf of the carer.

Over the next three years, the partnership is expected to help TSB employees access up to £1.78 million in care funding via the employee benefit solution, while saving almost 13,000 hours for colleagues who are carers - time that would have otherwise been spent arranging carer logistics.

Ariam Enraght-Moony, Chief People Officer at TSB, said:

Carers deserve every support possible to fulfil both their caring responsibilities and to maintain, and advance their careers. That’s why we’re delighted to partner with KareHero to help our colleagues navigate the carer landscape with ease and expertise, in addition to the financial confidence our paid carers leave provides.

The new partnership builds on TSB’s existing policy of offering two weeks paid leave to carers, which has a huge impact on both the colleagues’ personal and professional life.

TSB’s commitment to carers recently took centre stage at the Carers Parliamentary Reception at Westminster Palace on 20th November. The event, held to mark Carers Rights Day, brought together policymakers, organisations, and advocates to discuss ways to better support carers nationwide.

Accord Senior Representative Michelle White, a long-time advocate of TSB’s carer’s leave policy and a carer herself, was invited to join the TSB delegation and share her personal experiences. Reflecting on the event, Michelle said:

I was invited to the Carers Parliamentary Reception at Westminster to highlight the challenges of juggling work and care and the importance of support for employees with caring responsibilities. TSB’s policy, which includes 70 hours of paid carer’s leave pro-rata, has had a positive impact on colleagues, allowing them to provide care while balancing their careers.

TSB was the first bank to offer paid carer’s leave and continues to work closely with Carers UK to improve support for its employees.

Accord at the STUC Women’s Conference

In October, Donna McGeary, Sarah Cockburn and Jen Winning represented Accord at the 97th Scottish TUC Women's Conference in Glasgow. Jen shared the following reflections.

The theme of the STUC conference this year was "Succession and Solidarity," a reminder for us to look to the future and encourage our younger members to participate and develop in their unions, ensuring we build unions for the workplaces of tomorrow.

We heard about the "Unions into Schools" programme and were visited by senior pupils from local schools, who gave presentations on what they have learned as part of their studies into misogyny and sexual harassment in schools. Their personal stories about what they have experienced, and the statistics involved, were truly shocking.

There was a panel on succession planning and speeches from Caroline Price from TUC Cymru and Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary, who spoke at Accord's Conference in April. We also participated in a workshop on the new legislation on preventing sexual harassment, what this looks like for employers and reps, and how we can support the safety of our members.

A wide range of motions were debated and it was interesting to see how many issues our members in Accord have in common with those from workplaces across the country. From violence in the workplace and campaigning for better provisions on leave and pay, to the impact of AI on lives and jobs, it was clear that, as workers, we share common challenges. Some of the motions covered emotive and potentially triggering subjects, and it was incredibly moving to see how the whole conference—delegates, committee and staff—were supportive of those telling the hardest stories.

It can be a bit of a cliché to say that these events are inspiring, but this conference definitely was.