Council 'buy out' offers (2)

Council make the big mistake of cheating their lowest paid workers in dealing with equal pay - by making one-off 'buy out' offers that people can't understand - at least without proper advice and support.

But councils always compound this initial mistake by leaving out thousands of other jobs - that have a perfectly good equal pay claim - and any financial compensation that's going around.

Typically, council 'buy out' offers are restricted to manual worker jobs - and these offers are a truly rotten deal for the folks concerned.

But the employers try to bully and bamboozle people into accepting a very poor settlement - because the trade unions stand aside, say nothing and effectively help the employers do their dirty work.

However, the fact remains that many jobs are completely ignored - lots of low paid APT&C or white collar jobs - and the hard working employees doing these jobs are offered nothing at all - despite the fact that they have every bit as good a claim.

Equal pay is not just about manual workers - it's about the skills and responsibilities required of your job - and how your final pay compares to the pay of other male dominated jobs within the council.

So, many other female dominated jobs and areas have an excellent argument for being paid £11 and £12 an hour, including:

1. Office and admin workers


2. Community workers and carers


3. Catering managers and supervisors


4. School secretaries and support staff

Don't just believe or put up with what the employers or the trade unions tell you - ask awkward questions and demand proper answers - then take the whatever action is required to protect your own interests.

The best way to do that is to pursue your own individual equal pay claim - what have you got to lose?