Social landlords have been warned to address pay inequalities between men and women or risk “myriad compensation claims” running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Speaking at the National Housing Federation annual conference in Birmingham last Thursday, Dave Prentis, general secretary of public sector union Unison, said: “Councils and housing associations need to register equality pay schemes before 2007. If they don’t act now they could face claims for maximum amounts, and backdated six years.”

The Local Government Pay Commission pledged councils would all have equal pay schemes by 2007. But Unison estimates only one in five councils and “even fewer” associations have them so far.

In the same speech Prentis also called for the government to extend the Key Worker Living scheme to all public sector staff.

Source

Housing Today