press release.
30/06/2008 - Deborah Campaigns for Equal Pay for Council Workers
)
A GROUP of home care workers are still fighting for an equal pay settlement from Bolton Council - almost two years after 2,000 colleagues received one. The six women say they have missed out on thousands of pounds in compensation because they were only told that they could be entitled to it months after the deadline to claim had passed. Now the group, who have more than 120 year’s service between them caring for elderly and vulnerable people, are appealing for the council to pay them what they believe they are owed. Group spokesman, Barbara Kay, said: “All we want is a decent offer and for them to act reasonably.
“We have been fighting for something for the last two years. “And it’s not just the six of us. There could be hundreds out there who have lost out.” The dispute centres around the council’s announcement in 2006 that female workers doing jobs such as dinner ladies and cleaners had not enjoyed the same bonuses as staff in male-dominated jobs on the same pay grade. More than 2,000 employees were awarded a share of a £7.2 million payout going back six years to compensate them for this. But Mrs Kay and her colleagues had been made redundant in March 2006 and by the time the council wrote to them in November saying it was ‘considering’ making them an offer, the six-month time limit to claim had passed.
In December the council wrote to them saying: “Since sending out (the November) letter we have been advised that some home care workers do no qualify within the legislation relating to equal pay compensation.” Mrs Kay said it had been ‘a slap in the face’ for them having been ‘jumping for joy’ a month earlier. She added: “If we owed them six months council tax, we couldn’t say we weren’t paying because it was six months out.” The women are seeking fresh legal advice after a solictor recommended by their union, GMB, told them had no case to pursue. They have also enlisted the help of Deborah Dunleavy, the Conservative’s parliamentary candidate for Bolton North-east. She said the women were not claiming the council had broken any rules, but added: “It’s not in the spirit of the ‘Bolton Family’ which they talk about, given these ladies’ service”. “There’s a moral obligation not to try to avoid paying out what is due.”
links.
conservatives.com
Catch up on latest Conservative campaigns, news and video broadcasts.
Bolton Lads and Girls Club
Helping the youth of today become citizens of tomorrow.
conservativefuture.com
Plays an active role in recruiting and campaigning young conservative youths.
Political Conservative News
Read the latest political news, brought to you by the Guardian.
Daily Telegraph
Read the latest daily news, brought to you by the Telegraph.