Leeds City Council is facing equal pay claims potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds. More than 4,000 female employees are involved in the ongoing dispute, according to the GMB union.
The union says thousands of women working in council roles have been underpaid due to long-standing differences in pay structures between jobs predominantly carried out by women and those mainly staffed by men. GMB argues that roles such as teaching assistants have historically been paid less than comparable positions including refuse collection and other male-dominated jobs.
Rachel Robertson, GMB organiser, said many women had been waiting years for a resolution despite previous commitments to address the issue. She said: “Thousands of them are owed millions of pounds and they want that cash in their pockets now. Until every one of them has received what they are owed, GMB will be ramping up the campaign for pay justice.”
Leeds City Council said some elements of the dispute had already been resolved following negotiations with the GMB last year, but discussions over outstanding claims remain ongoing.
A council spokesperson said: “We were pleased that we were able to settle some elements of the claims late last year, with the GMB saying the agreement highlighted what can be achieved when both sides engage in genuine dialogue.
“Despite further discussions, we have, as yet, been unable to reach a settlement on the outstanding elements of the claims. We would stress that we are keen to continue talks with the GMB with a view to agreeing a settlement on terms that work for all parties.”
The council added that any future settlement would need to be balanced against its responsibility to manage public finances in a “prudent and robust manner”.
