Equal pay row as GMB union accuses Sunderland City Council of underpaying female care staff by £100,000s

Sunderland City Council bosses have been accused of underpaying female care workers by hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The GMB Union says staff employed by the council-owned Sunderland Care and Support have been underpaid in comparison to directly-employed workers in jobs of similar value.

The union claims the business has been used to put workers, the majority of whom are women, on lower pay grades than workers employed directly by the council in comparable roles, as well as deny them access to the Tyne & Wear Pension Scheme.

The union is today, Wednesday, July 13, launching a city-wide campaign to end what it says is an injustice and injustice and is encouraging all women affected to formally lodge equal pay claims against the council. 

The GMB says it believes female workers are owed hundreds of thousands of pounds. In other councils with pay practices which have been ruled to be discriminatory, GMB has secured pay-outs for women workers into the tens of thousands.

Sunderland GMB rep Kim Inglis urged any women who believed they may be affected to get in touch: "Sunderland Council have been underpaying women care workers for years, and we are determined to end this injustice.  

"As a care worker, me and my colleagues do vital work supporting vulnerable people. I'm proud to be leading this equal pay campaign and encourage all women who work for Sunderland Care and Support to join the GMB pay claim.

"We are owed wages for years of work. Our work isn’t worth less than men in comparable roles. 

"I ask the people of Sunderland to support our campaign by standing with us, sign our petition, talk to your Councillors, and write to your MP. Help us win pay justice." 

A Sunderland City Council spokesman said the authority was happy to sit down with the union but was still awaiting information on the issues involved: "We can confirm we have been contacted by the GMB which says it has concerns about terms and conditions for staff working with Sunderland Care and Support.

"While we have yet to see full and further details on those concerns, we are very happy to sit down and talk through these matters and seek a resolution."