Thousands of low paid council workers took a step closer to equal pay
yesterday thanks to a landmark decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
While many manual workers, such as cleaners, cooks and carers, have already
received compensation, previous decisions of the EAT removed the right to
compensation from thousands of administrators, clerical workers, learning
assistants and library staff.
In the absence of a proper explanation for the pay differences between
women and men, local authorities developed a technical argument that
women and men only deserved equal pay if they were based at the same
premises, or had the same pay and conditions – this argument has now
failed.
UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: