Public sector union Unison has lodged a record 20,000 equal pay claims against local councils, accusing employers of dragging their feet” on the issue.
This is despite figures from Local Government Employers (LGE), which leads on pay and pension issues, showing that 47% of councils have now completed pay reviews compared with just one-third a year ago.
A spokeswoman for Unison told Personnel Today that too few councils were committed to the single-status equal pay initiative. “There has been some movement in recent months, but it has been a long time coming,” she said. “Some councils have been good, but far too many have been poor and are dragging their feet.”
Dave Prentis, Unison general secretary, said: “Equal pay is not just the wish list of the trade unions, it is the law of the land. The government must do its bit to fund equal pay for the public services.”
However, Jan Parkinson, managing director at LGE, said councils were working hard to achieve equal pay, and it was “extremely encouraging” that half of all councils had got the job done.
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