Councils leading the way on equal pay

Councils have made huge progress in eliminating historic pay discrimination, according to a new report by Local Government Employers.

Two thirds of authorities have either completed equal pay reviews or have largely finished the work, according to the latest survey of local government.

The report, based on a comprehensive survey of councils, found nearly 80 per cent of pay reviews have been completed with union agreement, highlighting the merits of negotiation as a way of removing historic inequalities in the pay of men and women.

The survey of 325 councils in England and Wales, found that nearly 85 per cent had agreed arrangements to protect staff who are losing out as a result of pay reviews. Fewer than one in three had Employment Tribunal cases outstanding.

Sir Steve Bullock, chairman of the Local Government Association HR panel, said: "Councils want equal pay for men and women in their workforce and are working hard to achieve it. This report shows the vast majority of councils are well down the road towards achieving equal pay for the local government workforce.

“Providing a fair settlement on equal pay remains an urgent issue for local councils who must act in the best interests of local tax payers as well as all staff. We are determined to resolve the issue.

“A negotiated settlement between employers and unions remains much the best long term way to deal with this difficult problem and we urge councils to continue talking with unions to sort these issues out.

"Local Government should be proud that it has been open about this problem and declared that it is going to do something about it. There are similar problems in the NHS and civil service, where the decision has been made to fight cases all the way in tribunals rather than try and reach agreement as we are doing. The situation in the private sector is completely hidden as they have no requirement to carry out pay assessments."

Please download the summary report.