Birmingham City Council has signed an agreement to settle equal pay claims brought by two trade unions on behalf of hundreds of its low-paid female employees.
The agreement, which was signed with the Unison and GMB unions, will see women in roles such as teaching assistants, catering and care work compensated for years of wages they missed out on due to being paid less than male colleagues doing work of equal value.
The full terms of the settlement are confidential. However, the council has acknowledged its shortcomings in how equal pay risks were handled in the past and is committed to learning from its mistakes to ensure they are not repeated.
It has thanked the unions for helping bring about a framework agreement to settle outstanding equal pay claims to avoid the time and expense of litigation, and move forward with a fairer, more transparent job evaluation scheme and pay structure.
Councillor John Cotton, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “When I was appointed as leader two years ago, I labelled equal pay the single biggest challenge that the council has faced and vowed to deal with the matter once and for all. We’re doing exactly that and this deal represents another key milestone on our journey. I want to thank GMB and Unison for working so constructively with the council to put right a historic wrong.
“Birmingham City Council will regularly review its job evaluation processes to maintain equity and transparency across all roles. We are committed to continuing to strengthen our internal governance structures and to work closely with trade unions to promote equality and fairness for all employees.”
Christina McAnea, general secretary at Unison, added: “This victory for low-paid women will resonate far beyond Birmingham. It sends a powerful message that equality at work is not optional, it’s a fundamental right. It’s a reminder that when women stand together to demand fairness, real change can happen. Seeing them compensated properly, after standing shoulder to shoulder every step of the way, is a major achievement for the union.”
