Women Win Landmark Equal Pay Case

 A LANDMARK decision from the UK’s highest court could mean hundreds of workers in the region could chase their former employers for back pay over equal pay claims.
The Supreme Court ruled this week that the equal pay cases of 174 former workers of Birmingham City Council could be heard in the civil courts where there is a six year time limit.
This could effectively open the floodgates for former employees to bring out-of-time equal pay claims in the fresh arena of the civil courts, having been denied the opportunity at an employment tribunal because of the strict six month deadline.
Christina Reed, employment solicitor for Vincents Solicitors in Preston, said: “This historic judgment will be worrying for business owners in the region as potentially hundreds of workers in the county race to seek justice retrospectively.
“This is not a change in the law but a procedural change in the way the law is enforced. Local employers, who exercised discriminatory practices in the equal pay field in the past, could face fresh claims from past employees, who left their companies years ago, as out-of-time claims can now be heard by the civil courts.”
Birmingham City Council attempted to stem the equal pay claims by arguing that the litigants were out of time for bringing their equal pay claims in the employment tribunals. Instead, the employees fought for the right to have their cases heard in the civil courts with their argument winning over the High Court and Court of Appeal. The Council challenged the Court of Appeal decision but lost this week in the Supreme Court’s five member panel decision, who voted 3 to 2 in favour of the workers.
For further information about Equal Pay Law you can contact Christina Reed on 0800 310 2000 or email christinareed@vslaw.co.uk