Dinner ladies win equal pay battle

School dinner ladies are celebrating a long and hard-fought victory after learning that they have won the right to be paid the same as their male counterparts.

These include bin men and street sweepers.

An employment tribunal in Liverpool ruled that 39 dinner ladies and meals-on-wheels workers would receive nine years of back pay, plus interest, from St Helens Borough Council, Merseyside.

In August 1998, the GMB union lodged claims on behalf of 248 women workers. They alleged that men who worked for the council at the same level received bonuses and other financial incentives that they did not.

Since then, 209 have settled with the council.

A tribunal hearing in April found the women were entitled to equal pay. The latest hearing decided how the compensation would be assessed.

GMB regional organiser Eileen Turnbull said: "There is a clear moral to this tale. We may be in the 21st century but in some people's eyes it is still seen as acceptable for women to earn less than men for comparable work."

The council and the union could not yet say how much each woman would get. Most worked part-time.

Discussions between the two sides are continuing and it is expected the women will get their money next month.

If the dispute is not settled, it will go back to tribunal on 23 November.

A council spokesman said: "The council continues its commitment to equality. It has taken steps to address the equality issues by serving notice on the problematic bonus schemes and by its plans to introduce an agreed and objective job evaluation scheme."

by Louise Bozec