Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons and Minister for Equalities, addressed the TUC conference in Brighton this morning, and followed it up with a questions-and-answers session with delegates.
Harman was speaking in her role as Minister for Equalities and announced the launch of a National Equality Panel to be chaired by leading academic Professor John Hills, professor of social policy at the LSE, already working on equality issues with the TUC.
The panel is due to provide an authorative analysis of inequality in Britain by the end of November 2009, so as to lay the platform for further work in ensuring equality for all, which Harman feels is "the human right of everyone in this country" and "makes for a stronger, more meritocratic economy".
During her address, Harman took the opportunity to point out Labour's achievements in this area since coming to power - including the introduction of the national minimum wage and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
She also pointed to the Conservative Party's "achievements" during it's 18 years in power in this area . . . the introduction of Section 28, a law preventing local councils from promoting or encouraging homosexuality through publications, campaigns or in schools, which was brought in under Margaret Thatcher in 1988.
Harman also declared that "David Cameron wants women for one thing, and only thing only - their votes."
During the question and answer session, Harman took a question from GMB, asking "why is the Government refusing to extend equal pay audits to the private sector?"
In response, Harman said that the Government were taking several steps in this area. Firstly, she pointed out that the equal pay duties that public sector organisations have a duty to discharge are also extended to any private sector organisation that undertakes work for the public sector. However, she conceded that more work could be done to ensure that private sector companies conducting work for the public sector conform to the laid down equality duties.
She also pointed to work that the Equality and Human Rights Commission are doing in this area, specifically conducting two legal enquiries exploring gender pay gaps in financial services, and pay differences by race and ethnicity in construction.
The TUC annual conference continues tomorrow. Next year will see it move location to Liverpool.
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