Now there's a surprise!

Action 4 Equality has been operating in London for a very short time - but already there are signs of panic among HR managers in Bexley.

As soon as our clients claims are registered with the employers - a surprising thing always happens - and the same pattern is now emerging in London

HR managers - who previously showed no interest in equal pay - are suddenly keen to discuss the issue - and sometimes they have the bare faced cheek to suggest that anyone pursuing a claim to the Employment Tribunals is acting a bit hasty.

Remember these are the same managers who have failed to implement the 1998 Single Status Agreement for the past 10 years - an agreement that was supposed to deliver a fairer deal for low paid women workers.

In Bexley, the HR department has suddenly sprung into life - but only after receipt of equal pay claims from Stefan Cross - they have told our clients that their claims will not succeed - but can we talk about the possibility of a negotiated settlement.

Now there's a surprise! Hands up any one who believes the council would be remotely interested in discussing a settlement - without the helpful encouragement from Action 4 Equality and Stefan Cross?

The truth is the council is now doing our work for us - because it's perfectly obvious that they would never be willing to consider a settlement - if people didn't have valid claims.

Our advice to clients is that this is a hugely encouraging sign - there's no need to discuss your case with management - the basis of your claim has already been made very clear by Stefan Cross.

So, all you need to do once your claim is up and running is to sit tight - contact us for advice by all means - but if HR or anyone else wants to talk about settlement - simply refer them to Mark Irvine or Stefan Cross.

If you haven't yet made a claim - all we need is your name, address and post code to send out an application form/s.