'Thousands of' Birmingham City Council equal pay claims 'not settled'

Solicitor Paul Doran said it was "outrageous" some were still waiting to be paid

Thousands of cases still need to be settled, five years after female Birmingham City Council workers won an equal pay ruling, it has been claimed.

The court ruling entitles workers to back pay for the years they earned less than their male counterparts.

Solicitor Paul Doran said it was "outrageous" some were still waiting.

The council, which said the total cost to the authority was likely to reach about £1.2bn, did not say how many cases it thought were outstanding.

It said that was legally sensitive.

Paul Doran, from Paul Doran Law, who is overseeing equal pay claims, said: "A number of local authorities have fought these cases long and hard and thrown hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money into defending the cases.

"Given that there was a ruling against Birmingham City Council in April 2010, we're now five years on and some of these people are still waiting to be paid, it's outrageous to be honest with you."

Carol Corcoran said she was "frustrated"

Carol Corcoran, 62, who spent a decade working in a council-run nursing home, said she "worked hard for that money".

She said: "I'm entitled to it and it really makes me angry, frustrated more I think, frustration because nobody listens."

She has complained to her solicitors, Thompsons, which said they shared her concerns about the council's response.

Tony Rabaiotti from her union, public service union Unison, which recommended Thompsons, said: "We would like to have settled all of these matters a long time ago.

"But unfortunately what we have to do is try and reach a settlement for everybody with the local authority.

"I ought to emphasise that around twelve thousand cases have already been settled and there are about four to five thousand that are still outstanding."