Almost 100 female workers are claiming up to £1.5m from Staffordshire County Council in an equal pay row.
The 88 women say the local authority owes them about £15,000 each because they were left out of bonuses awarded to male gardeners on the same pay grade as them.
The women, who are employed in a range of jobs, including care assistants and school lunchtime supervisors, will take their case to an employment tribunal on 3 December.
Solicitor Andrew Vernon of Birmingham law firm Carvers, told local newspaper The Sentinel: “All gardeners employed by the council are men, and their jobs are equal in terms of effort and skill to jobs done mainly by women, such as care assistants.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“The claims, which could be worth up to £15,000 each, cover all types of jobs, and could create a precedent for pay claims against the council.”
The council is contesting the claims.
