Union launches equal pay dispute with Coventry City Council

Coventry City Council said it employed about 4,500 staff "and values them all equally"

A trade union has launched an equal pay dispute with Coventry City Council.

The GMB claims the council underpays its female workers and is urging staff to launch legal claims.

It comes less than five months after the end of a six-month bin lorry driver dispute involving the Unite union.

The council said it had started talks with the GMB, valued staff equally and was "acutely aware" of duties around equal pay that were raised during the bin strikes.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the GMB claimed the council had historically undervalued jobs done mainly by women and overlooked these roles for pay rises.

A post on the union's website said it had "significant concerns regarding the valuing and payment of roles at the authority".

It said the roles included school teaching assistants, library workers and care support staff.

GMB organiser Michelle McCrossen added: "Coventry City Council is fast becoming a pay discrimination hot-spot."

Bin lorry drivers held demonstrations in the city during a previous dispute

The bin lorry driver strike was concluded on 29 July when the unions accepted a pay rise from the authority.

The council said: "At this stage, we only have general details on the issue so are seeking a number of clarifications on the points raised.

"We are acutely aware of the duties around equal pay and people will remember this was a major issue for us as we attempted to resolve the long-running dispute with bin lorry drivers earlier this year."