No doubt you have heard about the BBC’s announcement that they intend to reduce the salaries of some of their male presenters by up to 30% to try and eradicate the gender pay gap. This is an extremely unusual step for an employer to take and may prove to be full of risks. 

The legal position is that an employer cannot impose a wage cut on their employees if they have an employment contract setting out details of their salary. Any such decision will have to be with the agreement of the employees concerned. They are not obliged to give their consent and may take legal action to prevent the change.