Unison bans all talk of equal pay at annual conference to protect legal case

Unison, the UK’s largest trade union, has vetoed equal pay discussions at its annual conference to avoid “legal jeopardy”.

The union is currently facing more than 900 claims by lawyers representing female members who believe they have been shortchanged in equal pay disputes.

Unison officials have expressed concern that any comments about its equal pay policy could prejudice its legal case.

“The union strongly believes that Unison’s policies and tactics on equal pay are right,” the union said in a statement.

But delegates were told that the issue of equal pay claims could not be debated during the conference in Bournemouth this week.

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The GMB union was found guilty of sex discrimination earlier this month over the way it negotiated equal pay claims for members.

Unison, which has 1.3 million members, almost two-thirds of whom are female, has taken legal advice about the implications of the ruling against the GMB.