Sheffield city council is to become the latest local authority to face a mass equal pay claim from women who have been underpaid by up to £11,000 a year, the GMB union has said.
Thousands of women will launch claims against the council on Monday over a “scandalous” job evaluation scheme that discriminates against female-dominated roles, the union claimed.
It said the council is underpaying those who work in roles such as cleaning, caring or housing allocation and that comparable male-dominated jobs have higher pay grades.
The GMB union said cleaners are grade 1 while caretakers are grade 3, translating to a pay difference of £1,710 a year. It added that senior teaching assistants are grade 5, while night noise officers are grade 7, resulting in an annual pay difference of £11,383.
But Sheffield city council said it has an appeals process that allows staff to challenge their grades.
The dispute comes 12 years after the council settled an equal pay claim by female workers before it reached the supreme court. In September 2011, the council agreed to recompense 1,100 lunchtime staff, cleaners and care workers, who claimed they were paid less than male workers.
On Monday, the GMB union urged the council’s female workers to get in touch to discuss potential claims. Sue Wood, a senior organiser, said: “What we have uncovered in Sheffield is truly scandalous.
“The council are using a rotten job allocation scheme that actively discriminates against its female workforce and opens up thousands of potential equal pay claims.
“We are determined that this injustice must end and call upon the town hall to step up, commit to ending this blatant discrimination and scrap this unfair scheme.”
Councillor Fran Belbin, the deputy leader of Sheffield city council, said the council uses the evaluation scheme to ensure that jobs are reviewed and graded fairly.
She said: “We have had this scheme in place since 2010 and it includes an appeals process. Any member of staff can request a review if they believe their grade is not correct.
“We encourage members of staff to raise any concerns about equal pay with us, so we can review and address if necessary. When a grade is confirmed as needing to change, changes are made. We meet regularly with staff and their representatives and are always happy to discuss any concerns.”
The GMB union is also supporting more than 3,000 equal pay claims against Birmingham city council, and has disputes against councils in Coventry, Westmorland, Cumberland, Glasgow, Dundee and Fife.
Birmingham city council issued a section 114 notice this month, stating it did not have the resources to balance its budget because of a series of problems, including with the equal pay bill.
