23/9/2009 - County council moves to settle equal pay claims : Cumbria County Council

Cumbria County Council has made the most decisive move yet to resolve the long-running issue of equal pay claims made against the organisation.

The council has today made formal individual settlement offers to many employees with equal pay claims against the council. These offers, and all of the information behind them, have been made through Trade Union representatives.

Trade Unions are now expected to forward these offers on to claimants, together with their advice on whether or not to accept. These personal notifications should reach individuals in the next two or three weeks and will mean that council employees are finally in a position to decide to resolve the long-running legal dispute and accept a cash offer to settle their claims.

All claimants will have to do is consider whether to accept their offer, sign up and send back their agreement. Payments will then be processed as quickly as possible.

The council negotiated the terms of the offer to settle equal pay claims earlier in the year, worth approximately £40m, and since then has been finalising personal offers and working closely with trade unions to agree a process for notifying claimants.

The offer has the backing of all political parties and has been approved by a cross-party working group of elected members.

The settlement offers are based on the nature of individual claims, how long the employee has been in post, and the timing of their claim. At this first stage, the offers are being made to employees represented by trade union lawyers; those represented by other solicitors and organisations will follow shortly.

The council believes it is important to deal with historic equal pay claims as a first step to introducing new and sustainable pay arrangements for all staff.

The council feels strongly that it is in everyone’s interest to give claimants certainty and cash in their pockets now, rather than face the ongoing uncertainty of legal and tribunal proceedings.

The Employment Tribunal has been considering equal pay claims for several years. Cases which continue through the full tribunal process are unlikely to be resolved until later in 2010, if not longer.

Cllr Liz Mallinson, Cabinet member for Organisational Development, said:

"For many people, receiving this formal offer will be the day they've been waiting for for several years. It can mean an end to this long-running legal process where we have all been trying to work out what best to do. Staff will have the settlements and money that is being offered, and we can all spend less time in the tribunal process. We are committed to making sure that our staff our paid correctly and fairly for the work we ask them to do. Where we need to deal with historical issues we will do so –the offers being made today are a sign of the commitment of the council to sort all of this out."

Cllr Stewart Young, Deputy Leader of the county council and Cabinet member responsible for resources, said:

"The message we have been getting from all of our staff involved is that they want this sorting out now, they want some certainty, and an end to the legal process. We’ve listened to that, and are taking action. The county council has put together a good, fair offer and negotiations with the trade unions have been very constructive to get us where we are today. Other areas of the country going through a similar process have seen very high levels of acceptance from claimants. Given the strength of our offer, I sincerely hope our employees will also accept their offers."