Equal rights legislation has failed low paid women workers, the country's equality chief has told the TUC.

In the "24-seven" consumer culture low paid women in the service sector are much less likely than men to get premium or shift rates for working around the clock, Julie Mellor warned trade union delegates.

The chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission noted figures showing women still to be on average £123-a-week worse off than men - 32 years after the Equal Pay Act.

"These women are breadwinners - scraping together a living for themselves and their families," she said.

"Their work may not be glamorous. It doesn't often hit the head tines. They don't have access to the corridors of power - despite cleaning them - but their work is essential to the smooth running of society and they deserve proper financial recompense for the vital role they play."

Mellor highlighted the problem of female workers in jobs were there are no male equivalents - making it impossible to carry out equal pay audit wage comparisons.

"It is simply that the jobs they do are low paid because women do them," she told TUC delegates.

"In these days of the 24-hour culture someone has to work to satisfy the consumer demand for services round the clock. That someone, more often than not is a woman - but she isn't paid extra for doing it."

Three quarters of women are found in just five occupations - with carers, cleaners, caterers and shop workers predominant - and wages are lower than in mainly male sectors.

To close the gap, Mellor insisted, so-called "women's work" must be re-valued.

"We may not have women's rates and men's rates any more, but as long as the jobs done by hundreds of thousands of women remain at the bottom of the pay heap, we will still have a gender pay gap," she said.

"It is time to re-think the value of work done by cleaners, caterers, home care workers and shop assistants. The country would grind to a halt without them - it is time to pay them a decent wage for the vital work they do."

Ministers have been urged to compel bosses to conduct pay audits to ensure equality between male and female employees.

The Amicus union has said the government should take action to narrow the 18 per cent pay gap between men and women.

Women workers are "furious" at being left behind in the pay stakes by employers guilty of discrimination, said the union.

The union said on Tuesday that it would hold a demonstration outside the CBI's national conference in November in a bid to highlight the need for tougher action against unfair company pay policies.

"If the CBI are opposed to equal pay audits surely this means they are opposed to equal pay and in favour of discrimination," general secretary Roger Lyons said.