{"id":489271,"date":"2025-10-10T20:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T20:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/489271\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T20:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T20:59:12","slug":"merseyside-council-faces-claims-which-could-cost-tens-of-millions-of-pounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/489271\/","title":{"rendered":"Merseyside council faces claims which could cost ‘tens of millions of pounds’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knowsley Council said it ‘fully supports’ the principles of equal pay and is engaged in ongoing discussions with trade unions\"KnowsleyKnowsley Metropolitan Borough Council(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

Knowsley Council faces equal pay claims which could amount to tens of millions of pounds, according to the GMB Union, which said the claim focuses on the local authority\u2019s \u201ctask and finish\u201d system, allowing employees in \u201cmale dominated jobs\u201d to leave work once tasks are completed.<\/p>\n

Knowsley<\/a> Council said it \u201cfully supports\u201d the principles of equal pay and is engaged in ongoing discussions with trade unions. However, GMB released statement earlier today (October 10) calling on the local authority to engage with the issues raised and deliver \u201cpay justice\u201d.<\/p>\n

The GMB statement claimed there are more than 1,000 workers employed by Knowsley Council<\/a> in \u201cfemale dominated\u201d roles, who may have been paid less than their male counterparts, despite carrying out work rated as of equal value.<\/p>\n

The statement read: \u201cThe claim focuses on Knowsley Council\u2019s \u2018task and finish\u2019 system, which allows employees in male dominated jobs to leave work once tasks are completed.<\/p>\n

\"KnowsleyKnowsley Metropolitan Borough Council(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, workers in female dominated equivalent roles are not permitted to do this and are required to remain until the end of their shift.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pay difference could be as much as \u00a36 an hour in many cases, with claims potentially going back six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cGMB is calling on Knowsley Council to acknowledge the issue and reach a fair settlement with our members.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the latest in GMB\u2019s national equal pay campaign, which has already seen almost 30 claims across the UK and hundreds of millions of pounds won for women workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Knowsley Council spokesperson said \u201cThe council fully supports the principles of equal pay and officers have been engaging with trade unions, including GMB, over this issue which is affecting councils across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are awaiting details of the claim which GMB will be making on behalf of their members so that we can understand the position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Clark, GMB senior organiser, added: \u201cOur members in other services across Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council can\u2019t simply leave work early.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are required to stay until the end of their shift, even when colleagues in male-dominated roles are allowed to clock off once the task is completed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not just unfair \u2014 it could be unlawful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Knowsley Council said it ‘fully supports’ the principles of equal pay and is engaged in ongoing discussions with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,487,3374,393,4884,458,41030,179,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-489271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-cost-of-living","10":"tag-employment","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-knowsley","14":"tag-knowsley-council","15":"tag-liverpool","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}