Birmingham City Council Reaches Settlement in £760m Equal Pay Dispute

The agreement ends years of legal battles over pay discrimination affecting thousands of low-paid, predominantly female workers.

Birmingham City Council has agreed to settle equal pay claims totaling £760 million, resolving a long-standing dispute with unions GMB and Unison.
The settlement will provide payouts up to four times higher than those offered in 2021, with payments expected by mid-2025.
The claims involved predominantly female workers in roles such as teaching assistants and cleaners who were historically underpaid compared to male-dominated positions like waste collection.
The council, which declared effective bankruptcy in 2023, will fund the settlement within the limits of a financial support package approved by the government earlier this year.
Union leaders and council officials hailed the agreement as a historic step toward addressing pay inequality and improving industrial relations within the city.