Councils 'not even close' to equal pay resolution - lawyer

A lawyer has warned some Scottish councils are "not even close" to resolving equal pay issues.

That is despite the expectation that Glasgow City Council will offer 19,000 workers £260m within weeks.

Although this will resolve historic claims, Stefan Cross KC said changes to pay structures to prevent future claims have still to be agreed.

The claims arose from a long-running dispute over women being paid less than men in jobs of the same grade.

Campaigners had said workers in roles such as catering or cleaning were receiving up to £3 an hour less than those in male-dominated areas such as refuse collection.

The case was initially settled at an estimated cost of £500m in 2019, but some claims were made too late to be included in the earlier deal.

Thousands of council workers staged a strike over the dispute last year

In November a £770m deal was struck between the council and workers represented by Unison, the GMB and Unite and Action for Equality - the law firm run by Mr Cross.

Glasgow City Council raised £210m against some of its most famous buildings in September last year in order to afford the deal.

This includes Kelvingrove Museum and Art Galleries and the City Chambers.

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Mr Cross told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme he expected the latest round of payments to be made in the new tax year following positive discussions with the council.

But when asked whether this would bring an end to equal pay arguments, he said: "Not even close.

"It will resolve matters up until October 2023 but then the council and the unions need to reach an agreement on a new pay and grading structure and a new job evaluation ranking.

"They aim to do that by end of this year - we don't know whether that will be achieved or not."

Stefan Cross was the claims lawyer who acted for the majority of the women

Mr Cross has fought equal pay disputes in every Scottish council and said there are still litigation pending in other areas.

He said: "The position in Glasgow is slightly different from the other councils because Glasgow decided to use its own unique bespoke pay arrangements not in line with the national agreement - that's what led to various litigation going up to the Court of Session so Glasgow is in a different position from everybody else.

"However the other councils and whether they have correctly amended their pay structures is up for discussion, and I know that the other trade unions in particular GMB are examining other claims.

"It would not surprise me if we will have another round in relation to almost all the councils in Scotland."

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "The design and implementation of a new pay and grading system has always been an integral part of resolving the historic equal pay issue - and any council would recognise that it is a complex and substantial bit of work that takes years rather than months to complete."

Speaking after the latest deal was agreed, council leader Susan Aitken said she was delighted the authority could "deliver the final stage of the pay justice that many Glaswegian women have fought long and hard for".

Ms Aitken said the new pay and grading system would prevent future pay discrimination.