Equal pay victory for 3,000 Edinburgh council staff

About 3,000 workers in Edinburgh have won an equal pay settlement from the city council which will run into millions of pounds.

Staff in roles such as classroom assistants, clerical assistants and social care workers are to benefit.

Unison has confirmed it will recommend the terms to their members to bring the long-running dispute to an end.

Payments will begin in the next couple of weeks and will be staggered over the coming three months.

Alastair Maclean, Edinburgh City Council’s director of corporate governance, said: “This is an excellent outcome for these employees and reflects a commitment from councillors, officers and trade union representatives to working in partnership.”

Andrew Burns, Edinburgh City Council leader, said: “The capital coalition had a firm aim to resolve these claims before the end of the year and we are absolutely delighted to report that this has been achieved.”

John Stevenson, president of Edinburgh’s Unison branch, said: “We welcome the settlement of these long-standing equal pay claims and we are delighted that many of our members will soon start receiving their compensation.”