21 January 2005
Local government is being forced to choose between paying its staff equally or delivering essential services, Unison general secretary Dave Prentis claimed this week.
Giving evidence to the Women and Work Commission, Prentis said the cost of achieving equal pay in councils was £2bn.
'Councils are expected to achieve equal pay in a climate where they are being told to make cuts in their budgets. We need to see real commitment from the government to close the gap — and commitment doesn't come cheap.'
Prentis said the government had already set a precedent in health with the introduction of Agenda for Change and should 'put its money where its mouth is'.
The union warned last year that it wouldn't tolerate councils 'dragging their heels on equal pay' and has begun to resort to legal action. Figures show that women workers in councils earn just 81% of men's hourly pay.
PFjan2005
