Six senior police women, who held senior administrative posts with South Wales Police Authority, have been awarded between £7,600 and £19,000 compensation, in a claim for equal pay for work of equal value. A seventh woman Linda Webb has been awarded an interim payment of approximately £8,000 pending further reports over the next 3 months.
The women were backed by UNISON, the UKÕs largest union, and the union is warning other police authorities across England and Wales that they could face similar claims, if they donÕt pay women what they are worth.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:
ÒThis is a great result, especially on International WomenÕs Day, for our members. It sends out a clear message that this sort of blatant discrimination has got to stop. These women are owed money for the work they have done and I am glad that at last justice has been done.
ÒUNISON is committed to tackling the gender pay gap which sadly is still rife across our public services and this case is a warning to police forces across England and Wales to get their act together or face a hefty bill . They must look carefully at their own procedures and carry out equal pay audits to ensure they are equality proofed, if not UNISON will have no hesitation in launching similar claims.Ó
The case of Kenefick and Others v South Wales Police Authority was originally heard by an employment tribunal in Cardiff in January 2004, when liability was admitted. At a
remedies hearing the women were awarded compensation for the years they were under-graded and passed over for promotion.
In a joint statement from the seven women they said:
ÒWe are relieved at the outcome of our case for equal pay. ItÕs a wonderful result and should pave the way for more equal pay claims as South Wales police still have no job evaluation scheme in place.
ÒThe support weÕve had from UNISON and our barrister Jo Omambala has won the day. WeÕve taken a long time to get to the situation of our employers conceding equal pay, but itÕs been worth it.Ó
The 6 women employed as Administrative managers by South Wales Police Authority are Barbara Kenefick, Annette Stephens, Maria Spence, Colleen Reason, Dorothy Morgan and Susan Williams. A seventh woman – Linda Webb was also a victim of discrimination but will have to wait another 3 months before hearing the amount of compensation she is to receive.
All the women worked in areas that carried heavy responsibilities for managing large budgets, but they were consistently paid less than men working at a similar level. Five are still employed by the police authority.
The original Industrial Tribunal Case was lodged in April 2001
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