Mass legal action over equal pay

Fair portions: the Equal Pay Act was introduced in 1975

Legal action to secure equal pay for women in the public sector is being launched by Wales' largest trade union.

Unison, which represents more than 95,000 members in Wales, 65% of them female, said its campaign was on behalf of thousands of underpaid women.

It said local councils had not stuck to the April 2007 deadline of a three-year deal agreed to end pay discrimination.

Councils have said they are committed to equal pay but have warned of the financial effect on their services.

The union said it has been left with "no alternative" to mass litigation.

The deal, made in April 2004, had seen councils commit to negotiating new equal pay salary structures.

Women local authority workers have waited far too long to have this injustice rectified Paul Elliott, Unison Cymru/Wales

But none of the 22 unitary authorities in Wales had so far introduced this, according to the union.

This was despite Neath Port Talbot and Torfaen councils paying out £11m compensation to more than 4,00 women employees for past pay discrimination.

As well as taking action in cases where there were "reasonable prospects" for success, the union said it also intended continuing discussions with councils to arrive at a settlement.

"The situation is extremely frustrating," said Paul Elliott, head of local government for Unison Cymru/Wales.

"Women local authority workers are rightly very angry about the failure of local authorities to end pay discrimination.

"Equal pay for work of equal value must be delivered now - women local authority workers have waited far too long to have this injustice rectified."

Unison and the GMB warned in March that Welsh councils may face legal action unless their female employees were paid the same as men.

At the time, the Welsh Local Government Association said councils were committed to equal pay but warned the £300m bill could affect council projects such as school building or road repairs.

Unison has said that local government trade unions will lobby Welsh MPs for additional funding to help councils meet the added financial burden of bringing in equal pay.

Tuesday will mark a decade since councils signed an agreement with trade unions committing them to ending pay discrimination.