More than £1 million set aside for equal pay compensation claims
HIGHLAND Council has been accused of trying to give the lowest payout possible for women who suffered gender inequality in salaries.
More than 700 people have claims against the local authority and say they were underpaid compared to male colleagues.
The council has repeatedly refused to say how much could be owed in compensation but an audit report given to a full council meeting showed £1.25 million has been set aside for equal pay provision.
Culloden and Ardersier councillor Glynis Sinclair hit out at budget leader Bill Fernie for not being open about the figure and said the council should not be trying to negotiate a poor deal to women who have already been underpaid.
"You say it is not possible to tell me the amount of money set aside for outstanding claims for equal pay, but these papers say £1.25 million has been allowed for this," she said.
"Do you think it is the spirit of an equal pay claim for women, who are likely to be on a lower pay grade, to try to negotiate the lowest possible settlement she will accept in order to save council funds?"
The latest figures published by the council in 2015 showed male employees were paid on average 9.3 per cent more than their female counterparts.
The figure for part-time staff alone was much higher at 27.1 per cent.
But Cllr Fernie defended the decision, saying he had been advised by lawyers that discussing the issue may hurt their negotiating position. "I don't know if they [lawyers] are trying to get the lowest settlement or not," he said.
"But I think in any negotiation people will try to get the best possible deal for whatever side they are on and it is for lawyers to sort that out."
Elsewhere in Scotland, councils such as Fife, North Lanarkshire and Glasgow City have previously been forced to pay out up to £100 million apiece to deal with equal pay claims.
