Protest at Barnet Council meeting over unresolved equal pay claim
Barnet Council is in denial about their equal pay liability and putting council services at risk, say GMB Union
Barnet’s annual council meeting was met by a protest calling for a resolution to the ongoing equal pay claim.
Protesters – including members who live, work, and vote in the borough - hoped to speak with councillors attending the meeting about their experiences but were roundly ignored by their representatives.
The protest was organised by GMB Union, which has launched proceedings on behalf of over 450 women working as school support staff at the council.
The union claims there are structural pay differences between members of staff working in roles staffed predominantly by women and those roles carried out mostly by men.
Under equality legislation, equal pay claims grow in the cost to employers over time.
This claim has now been unresolved for over 6 months.
GMB is urging the council to do the right thing by workers and residents and resolve the pay claim before it grows exponentially.
Beverley Gunning, GMB Barnet Branch Secretary, said:
“Our members are owed for years of systemic gender pay discrimination and their claim for equal pay is not going away.
“In council after council, employers failed to accept their responsibilities early and the costs of settling the claims increased exponentially.
“By burying their heads in the sand, Barnet are only increasing the cost of resolving the claim – costing residents more and putting their services at risk.
“The overwhelming majority of our members live – and vote – in the borough.
“They expect their representatives, the vast majority of which are themselves GMB members, to show them more respect.”
