Hundreds of women have gone on strike in Scotland as three more councils face claims over equal pay.
Almost 500 workers walked out of their council roles in Falkirk, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire in protest at a pay grading system which they say is outdated and pays women less than comparable male-dominated jobs.
Their action follows a strike by more than 8,000 female carers, caterers and cleaners in Glasgow, in 2018, which resulted in a payout of around £500m from Glasgow council, a bill it is yet to settle fully. It was the biggest equal pay strike in history in the UK.
Workers in similar jobs in Dundee, Perth and Kinross, Angus, Fife and Moray are now in ongoing disputes over equal pay.
The GMB union, which represents many of the women bringing claims, said local authorities across Scotland risk being bankrupted. GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said Scotland’s councils were approaching equal pay claims “like the Titanic approaching the iceberg”. “Councilors have their heads in the sand and executives have their fingers in their ears, but these equal pay claims will come, will be won and will need to be settled.
“We know local authorities are struggling to make ends meet and we know why. But to suggest women workers are somehow making things worse by asking for money they are owed … is as dishonest as it is disgraceful.”