Overview
- UNISON, GMB and Birmingham City Council signed a framework agreement to settle historic equal pay claims for council and Birmingham Children’s Trust staff, with payments expected to begin within weeks.
- Insider reporting places the settlement near £250 million covering about 6,000 claims, compensating predominantly low‑paid women such as teaching assistants, catering staff and care workers.
- The agreement is confidential and made without admission of liability, and the council has pledged reforms to job evaluation and pay structures; the lead commissioner called it an encouraging step.
- The reported total is far below earlier projections of roughly £650–£760 million that underpinned 2023 Section 114 notices, government intervention, spending freezes and deep service cuts.
- Councillors and academics argue the previous liability figure was overstated and urge a public inquiry, while the council says the cost falls within the exceptional financial support package agreed in January 2024.