New six year equal pay rule may lead to many more claims

A new decision from the Supreme Court which will extend the time in which workers will have to bring equal pay claims from six months to six years will, it is expected, open the way for thousands more claims to be brought in other areas.

The case has seen about 170 former female workers from Birmingham city council claim compensation after alleging they did not receive the same benefits and payments as men doing the same level of work and therefore the council breached equal pay law. The council tried to block the claims, saying they should have been made in front of an employment tribunal which has a six-month time limit, but the employees succeeded in claiming they should be heard in a civil court which has a six-year limit.

The firm which represented the women said it had 1,000 more claims pending with thousands more expected in other areas and the Local Government Association said the Supreme Court ruling could lead to more employers going through the civil courts although it expected employment tribunals to remain the main avenue for claims.

Legal firms expect the ruling to have a significant impact on the City and it could lead to female employees more willing to bide their time and take equal pay claims to the high court. Ultimately it could make such claims more lucrative and worth pursuing by staff.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/oct/24/birmingham-equal-pay-victo...