An
employment tribunal has ruled in favour of 1,957 equal pay cases in the Prison
Service, a decision that could cost the Government millions in compensation
claims.
The
tribunal supported the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union’s class action
for equal pay, which claimed that people in administrative, support and
managerial roles were treated less favourably and were losing out on pay even
though job evaluation exercises had scored their jobs favourably with their
prison officer and governor colleagues.
The
union claims pay gaps of up to £5,000 currently exist between administrative
and management grades and prison officer and governor grades that have been
rated as being work of equal value.
Mark
Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said the case had been going on since 1999 and
it was shocking that a government department would go to such lengths to defend
inequality.
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The
Prison Service is expected to appeal against the ruling.
