Hundreds of equal pay claims outstanding at Welsh councils

Hundreds of current and former council workers underpaid due to their gender are still awaiting payouts from their employers.

The situation has been blasted as “outrageous” by Aberconwy AM and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government – Janet Finch-Saunders – who revealed the figures following a Freedom of Information Request.

According to the FOI, there were 557 equal pay claims outstanding across the 22 Welsh local authorities – as of the 10th February 2017.

By far the worst performing council was Anglesey, with 234 outstanding claims. Whilst Powys (159) and Swansea (140) also reported large numbers.

Responding to the figures, which emerged on International Women’s Day, Mrs Finch-Saunders, said:  

“Women have a fundamental right to equal pay, and it’s a damning indictment that more than 45 years after the Equal Pay Act, so many women feel that they have no alternative but to pursue legal avenues to get a fair wage.

“Worryingly, this figure only accounts for outstanding claims, so this could just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the extent of the wider issue.

“It’s a sad reflection of where we are that on International Women’s Day in 2017, unequal pay is still even an issue.

“Clearly, there are serious questions for local authorities to answer and it appears that we are no closer to eradicating the problem of unequal pay.”