Council Pay Millions To Low Paid Women

Fife Council has paid out millions of pounds to low paid women staff for equal pay claims.

1400 employees in total have been compensated, with some cases stretching back to 2006. The council say they are pleased to have resolved all the cases, but that it comes at a significant cost.

Dougie Black, UNISON regional organiser for Fife local government said: "This has been a long time coming, many claims stretch back to 2006, we can only thank UNISON members for their hard work and patience. 

"We will now discuss individual claims with the employer to ensure each claim is calculated properly. This a good day for low paid women workers and UNISON is proud to have been a part of it."

Fife Council Leader David Ross said: "This has been a difficult time for everyone concerned. These claims have been ongoing for some considerable time and the legal processes involved have been complex.

"The fact that we have reached agreement without the need for legal proceedings has to be welcomed. There will no doubt be comparisons between Fife and other local authorities who are also dealing with equal pay claims. However it’s important to note that no two cases are the same and the fact that we haven’t had to go through a court process means Fife’s outcome cannot be compared to others.

"There will be significant cost to the council and we’re in the process of working through the fine detail which will lead to the final figures. Set against the existing budget gap of £77m over 3 years, this will make the development of our future budgets even more challenging."