Coca-Cola in race pay-out

Workers maintain the pressure on Coca-Cola

The US soft drinks giant Coca-Cola Company has agreed to pay out $192.5m after a group of African-American employees accused it of racial discrimination.

Where the money goes

$113m - cash compensation

$43.5m - salary adjustments

$36m - company employment practice reform

(Plaintiff's figures)

Four African-American workers, representing 2,000, of their colleagues, brought the case against Coca Cola last year.

The workers said they had suffered discrimination in pay, promotions and perfomance evaluations.

"Today we have closed a painful chapter in our company's history," Coca-Cola chairman Doug Daft said on the company's website on Thursday.

Employment overhaul

Coca Cola - the world's largest soft drinks firm - has also agreed to a complete examination of its employment practices by an external body.

The seven-member panel will recommend and enforce changes to Coca Cola's pay, promotion and staff evaluation policies, a statement issued by the plaintiffs said.

Doug Daft: A 'painful chapter' is closed

The company has the right to challenge any changes if it believes they would be impossible to implement or not financially feasible.

The claim affects African-Americans employed by Coca-Cola between April, 1995 and June, 2000.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs -who filed the lawsuit in April of last year - say it is the biggest settlement ever agreed in a class action case involving race discrimination.