Former council employees win equal pay case

Posted 29/11/2011

A group of female former employees of Birmingham City Council have won a landmark equal pay case against the local authority.Some 174 cooks, cleaners, caterers and care staff from the organisation claimed they were not given the chance to earn the same bonuses as male workers.One of the claimants was Linda Manders, 59, who spent ten years employed by Birmingham City Council as a lunchtime supervisor at a school.She said: “Not being able to claim the pay I was entitled to is simply not right.”Ms Manders explained the ruling in favour of the women may allow them to “recover what they should have been paid over many years”.Others who believe they have an employment law case could now come forward in order to recoup the money they are entitled to.Earlier in the year, the Trades Union Congress launched a new resource designed to offer advice and information to members of staff who want to learn more about the rights in the workplace.