Leeds City Council is the latest local authority to be faced with settling a mulit-million pound bill for equal pay claims.
Thousands of the council’s female support staff, including cleaners, cooks and kitchen staff, are among those in line for back-dated payouts, which could see individual workers receive thousands of pounds each.
The bill comes as a result of the local government single-status agreement, which aims to provide equal pay for work of equal value among council staff.
The council is said to be preparing to fund the pay claims by selling off council-owned land and property.
Council managers and trade union representatives are currently in negotiations.
A council spokesman said: “We have been working closely with the unions and are confident a solution can be achieved soon. It is important to remember this is not only a Leeds issue, but a national one, and many other councils have successfully come up with a fair negotiated solution in the same way.”
