The government is set to unveil new legislation aimed at closing the gender pay-gap.
Harriet Harman, leader of the Commons, is expected to announce that the new equalities bill will outlaw so-called gagging clauses, which prevent staff from disclosing their details.
It is hoped that this move will encourage employers to publish data on the average salary they pay to men and women.
Public sector bodies and private firms that provide government services will be obliged to release such information, although the majority of firms will not have to do so.
According to the Financial Times, Ms Harman believes that the new rules will empower the women who "suspect that men in their own workplace are paid more than them" but cannot prove it due to a culture of secrecy.
Earlier this month, Personal Today reported that Christian Armstrong, head of HR at hotel group Thistle, believes that mandatory pay-gap audits for all firms would have an adverse impact on many companies.
