Councils in Greater Manchester are getting ready to pay out £100m this Christmas in equal pay settlements. Manchester City Council has announced it is offering 2,000 staff a maximum of £8,000 compensation each in an equal pay settlement. A council spokesman said: ‘We will be making offers of compensation to some 2,000 staff and are taking steps to ensure they receive the money as soon as possible. Almost every authority across the country is facing the same situation.' The pay-out for all the councils in Greater Manchester is expected to total £100m. More than 2,000 female staff at Bolton MBC are being offered up to £8,000 compensation in a total settlement worth between £6m and £8m, and Stockport and Wigan MBCs are also working on settlements. ‘We are taking the same course as many authorities and offering staff compensation which will mean a clean and quick settlement for them without having to go through a lengthy and contested legal process,' said Bolton's executive member for human resources, Cllr Frank White. The MJ reported last week that settlements were also being offered to staff at Oldham and Rochdale MBCs. Devon CC has completed the first stage of its pay evaluation programme and written to more than 9,000 staff outlining how they would be affected by the new grading structure. ‘The majority of staff will see little change to their salaries or will experience an increase in their pay,' said council leader, Brian Greenslade. The GMB union has balloted workers at Barking and Dagenham LBC over the council's single status deal. The ballot result will be announced on 15 December.
