Equal pay claims cost Bury Council more than £600,000

An equal pay claim has cost Bury Council more than £600,000, when other local councils in Greater Manchester managed to settle the issue with staff, according to a report in the Manchester Evening News.

The article includes figures obtained through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which reveal that £529,048 was paid in legal fees and £85,517 on fees for stand-in solicitors.

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Employees such as dinner ladies and cleaners missed out on bonuses that were paid to janitors and gardeners, sparking a discrimination claim.

A ‘scramble to settle’ across the country followed, with most councils negotiating agreed compensation figures with low-paid female staff. Bury, however, opted to hold out for a legal ruling.