'More sign up' after union reopens equal pay claims

The GMB Union said 10% more people had signed up, after it announced on Monday that it was reopening equal pay claims at Coventry City Council.

The union stated it was now at just under 300 claims, after saying its move would see people given an opportunity to add their name to the GMB's legal challenge, "for the historical pay discrimination faced by the city's women workers".

Delays by council "top brass could add tens of millions to the final settlement bill", said the union, which added it was demanding the authority "to get back around the table with a plan".

The council has been approached by the BBC for comment.

GMB Organiser, Alice Reynolds, said: "After years of unacceptable delays, Coventry's women workers have had enough."

Talks aimed at finding a negotiated settlement collapsed earlier this year.

Hundreds of staff have lodged claims since 2022, backed by the Unite and GMB unions.

The claims are focused largely on the benefits received by staff in the male-dominated bin collection service, where workers are allowed to finish their shift early and go home if they have finished all the rubbish collections.

Those in roles typically done by women, such as care workers and social services, said they were not offered similar terms.

The council's 2026/27 budget confirmed it had set aside £9m a year for the next three years to deal with potential liabilities arising from the equal pay dispute.

The authority was "acting prudently with a strategy of building reserves, should a liability be the eventual outcome", a budget report stated.

Cabinet member for strategic finance and resources, Richard Brown, said in March: "There is a financial risk and I think it's one of the reasons that we're really prudent about this, we're forward-thinking and you have to identify what your risks are and that is part of it.

"I've got no ballpark figure in mind, we've got some claims in, there could be more claims in."

He has been approached for an update.

A council spokesperson said earlier this year: "There was an equal pay preliminary hearing held on 2 March, with a further two preliminary hearings taking place in June and September, ahead of the full hearing which is set for 2 November."

They also added: "The tribunal process commenced some time ago and a lot of work has been done to prepare for the hearing, including careful financial planning for a range of outcomes."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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