Five women hospital cleaners in Belfast yesterday finally won their 11 year legal battle to gain equal pay with male staff such as porters and groundsstaff, doing work of equal value.
The women are members of the health union Unison. After they began their case in 1985 almost 1,000 other Unison members lodged similar cases which remained adjourned awaiting an outcome in the original case.
The chief legal adviser to the Equal Opportunities Commission, Ms Mary Larkin, said that the case had been so prolonged because of the cumbersome nature of the equal pay legislation. The Commission had frequently urged reforms of the legislation.
The settlement agreed before an industrial tribunal yesterday' involves initial awards totalling almost £250,000 sterling. According to Unison, the rest of the settlement could cost a further £1 million.
The union said it would ask for an investigation by the Public Accounts Committee into the fact that the NHS "has spent more money perpetuating discrimination against low paid women than it takes to end the injustice". Legal fees are estimated to be in excess of £2 million.