Two trade unions are taking legal action against the local authority amid claims of pay disparities between male-dominated roles and jobs mostly staffed by women, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Barnet Council's Colindale head office — Barnet Council’s Colindale head office

An equal pay dispute has erupted at Barnet Council.

GMB Union and Barnet Unison, representing hundreds of women working as school support staff at the council, claims there are structural pay differences between members of staff working in roles predominantly staffed by women and those carried out mostly by men.

The unions said some roles within the refuse department were paid a “retention bonus” but school support staff weren’t, despite “serious issues” with retention in schools in London.

Last week, an initial hearing took place at an employment tribunal, with the council facing separate legal actions from both GMB Union and Unison.

If successful, union members could claim up to six years’ pay differential, counting the time taken to settle the case.

Lisa Bangs, GMB’s senior organiser, said the council was burying “their heads in the sand” but the claim wasn’t “going away”.

However, a council spokesperson said the council had policies in place to “ensure” pay was “fair” and denied knowing who was affected.

The spokesperson said: “The council values the vital contribution of school support staff and all our employees and we have robust policies in place to ensure fair pay and grading, which we regularly review to maintain compliance with equal pay requirements.

“Since GMB made their claim in December 2024 we have repeatedly asked both unions to explain exactly who they think is affected and why.”

Barnet Unison has submitted three collective grievances over equal pay; one against the council directly, and the two against two council-owned companies The Barnet Group (TBG) and Barnet Education and Learning Services (BELS).

GMB said it had attempted to settle its claim through negotiations, but these had come to a halt.

Helen Davis, branch chair for Barnet Unison, compared the situation to other equal pay disputes that have taken place around the country such as the one faced by Birmingham City Council, which recently agreed to settle with around 6,000 staff members.

She said: “Women in Barnet’s schools, care and community services have waited long enough. We’ve now filed equal pay grievances with all three employers because the evidence is overwhelming — and because LATC status doesn’t make discrimination disappear.

“If Southampton, Sheffield and Birmingham can settle multimillion-pound claims, so can Barnet.”

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