Equal pay settlements for female council workers pass £1bn

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Matty EdwardsDecember 27, 2025 at 09:30 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Equal pay settlements for female council workers in the UK have surpassed £1 billion, with thousands more claims expected. The GMB union has secured £1.1 billion in settlements for nearly 30,000 workers at six local councils, averaging £30,000 per claim, due to unequal pay compared to male-dominated roles. A recent high-profile case involved Birmingham City Council, settling for £250 million after a four-year campaign. These claims are based on the Equality Act 2010, requiring equal pay for work of equal value. Glasgow has paid the largest sum so far, £770 million, but has yet to redesign its pay structure. Currently, 40,000 claims remain outstanding across 26 local authorities, potentially costing hundreds of millions more.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Equality Act 2010 50% Glasgow ×260% Birmingham city council ×370% GMB ×480%

Keywords

equal pay 100% settlements 80% local councils 70% female workers 70% equality act 2010 60% gmb 50% trade union 50% pay and grading structure 50% male-dominated jobs 40% birmingham city council 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.30

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Birmingham city council

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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equal pay settlements local councils female workers equality act 2010 gmb trade union pay and grading structure male-dominated jobs birmingham city council

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