Supreme Court Equal Pay Landmark

Scores of women who worked for a local authority have won an equal pay ruling in the Supreme Court that will have serious ramifications for employers as it effectively extends the time workers have in which to bring equal pay compensation claims from six months to six years.



About 170 former Birmingham City Council employees – including women who worked as cooks, cleaners and care assistants – who left their jobs between 2004 and 2008 have fought a marathon struggle for compensation. They claimed that they were denied payments and benefits given to men doing the same level of work, in breach of equal pay legislation. The women were prevented from taking their cases to an Employment Tribunal, however, on account of the expiry of the six-month time limit that applies to such cases.



The women instead launched High Court proceedings, which benefit from a more generous six-year limitation period. Birmingham City Council attempted to strike out their claims on the basis that resolution of equal pay disputes fell within the exclusive jurisdiction of Employment Tribunals. Those arguments failed at the High Court and the Court of Appeal and the women may now proceed with their cases after the Supreme Court, by a majority of three judges to two, dismissed the Council’s appeal.