The TUC has called on the government to extend Britain's race relations laws to tackle low pay among black and Asian workers.

A survey published on Friday found black and Asian male workers earn on average £97 a week less than their white counterparts. Pakistani and Bangladeshi women remain at the bottom earning on average £34 a week less than white women.

Some progress has been made, the survey found. Black and Asian women fare better, and on average earn £7 per week more than white women - largely because they are more likely to be in full time jobs.

The TUC believes a number of reasons lead to black and Asian workers being trapped in low paid jobs such as working in textiles factories. These include language problems and living in deprived areas of the country that have a dependence on public transport

The TUC called for private sector employers to be legally required to promote good race relations in their organisations. The unions also said there should also be a requirement to regularly monitor pay data to ensure equality.

TUC general secretary, John Monks, said: "New laws in the public sector will make a difference - these must now be extended to end the unfairness in pay for black and Asian workers. These workers already suffer twice the levels of unemployment, lack of promotion opportunities and racial harassment. Unions are seeking to work in partnership with employers and the government to end this disadvantage."