Derby City Council has spent over £1.5m defending itself against equal pay claims, a freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed.
The UNISON FOI found that the council has spent £1,575,967 in legal fees to fight pay claims made by 200 mostly female workers who argue they were paid less than men.
The union’s solicitors calculated that the council has spent more on legal fees than it would have cost to settle all the claims outright.
UNISON Derby City branch secretary Becky Everett said: ‘As a claimant myself, I can tell you how hard me and my colleagues worked to deliver front line public services while being paid less than men doing the same work.
‘Claimants have died waiting for the council to pay them what they’re owed. We just want the council to recognise their historic unequal pay, do the right thing and settle this now.’
A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: ‘While the council remains committed to resolving the dispute, the matter remains the subject of ongoing legal proceedings in the Employment Tribunal and it would therefore be inappropriate for the council to make any further comment at the current time.’
