WOMEN in Northern Ireland earn between 15 per cent and 25 per cent less than men, according to a study commissioned by the Equal Opportunities Commission.

The study, which was based on a survey of public and private sector organisations employing a total of 120,000 people, examined the way in which pay structures affect the difference in pay between men and women.

It found that large numbers of employers continued to discriminate against women in spite of 25 years of equal pay legislation. In one case study in the hotel and catering industry, women manual workers were paid less than 60 per cent of the money earned by their male counterparts.

The head of research at the EOC (NI), Ms Joan McKiernan, described the results of the study as "disquieting".

"Economic independence for women is one of the key elements in equal opportunities, and it is one of the commission's current priorities," she said. "The findings of the study are disquieting, but I believe we have to come up with recommendations which are practical and realistic."

The 50 recommendations in the report include a call to employers to analyse their current pay structures and correct any examples of inequality or unfairness.

"We're asking trade unions to put pay equality at the top of their agenda, and to press for fairness in pay structures. If these recommendations are carried out, it will go a long way to reducing the differential which currently exists," Ms McKiernan said.

The report found examples of inequality in both the public and private sectors.