About 1,800 Scottish council workers are facing pay cuts under the latest local authority proposal to offer equal pay for women.
Plans being considered by North Lanarkshire Council would see some employees having their salaries reduced to fund the harmonisation of conditions for staff.
Unions have been discussing the council proposals, which include increased pay for 44% of staff. Another 44% will remain on the same pay grade under the new structure, with the remaining 12% facing pay cuts.
Under the deal, employees who lose out will have their salaries protected for five years, which is two years above the nationally agreed level.
Gavin Whitefield, chief executive of North Lanarkshire Council, said: “The package of proposals put forward by the council to address job evaluation, single status and equal pay had been agreed with the full-time trade union officials as the best package to go forward for consultation.”
He said the council would continue negotiations with the union “to discuss a number of issues that need to be resolved to maintain progress”.
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To address the equal pay issue in Scotland some councils have reached compensation deals with their workers. The largest of these deals, in Glasgow, totalled £37m.
The financial pressures on local authorities have resulted in warnings that the average council tax bill in Scotland could rise by £80 to fund the equal pay settlements.
