MORE than 1,000 council employees are set for a windfall of up to £30,000 each as part of an equal pay claim deal.

The hundreds of workers, the majority of whom are women, are seeking amultimillion pound pay-out from Hampshire County Council in back pay following legislation brought in last year.

Under the new law councils were forced to bring in equal pay bandings and offer up to six years in back pay to workers.

However, Hampshire County Council is disputing that all the affected staff are entitled to the full six-year pay-out and is now preparing for a legal battle that will see more than 1,000 claims being made against it.

Social workers, home carers, school dinner ladies, cooks, cleaners, library assistants and lollipop ladies are among those who have taken their cases to Southampton Employment Tribunal.

Some £17m of taxpayers’ money has been set aside to cover the cost of the claims, which could see individuals walk away with up to £30,000 each.

The final bill could even top the initial estimate and the Government has given Hampshire the go-ahead to borrow up to £4m if needed to help cover the bill.

Southampton City Council, which brought in a new pay structure in 2003, has received 17 pay claims from the unions, although it is understood “no win, no fee” solicitors have gathered 100 or so more claims.

Other councils across the country have reached a settlement with unions on the amount of back pay that will be handed out, but no such deal has been reached in Hampshire.

The new structure was brought in because traditionally male-dominated public sector jobs benefited from better pay and conditions than female ones.

Under the new deal social workers – mainly women – employed by the county council are being paid £5,000 more to bring them in line with surveyors and engineers, who are mainly men.

Overall, 24 per cent of women-dominated roles will see their salaries increase, while seven per cent of male-dominated jobs will have pay docked. The rest will be unaffected. County council Unison branch secretary Rolli Rolands said he was disappointed several thousand more workers had failed to lodge claims.

He said: “Individual claimants could get tens of thousands of pounds.

Potentially the residential social workers could get up to £30,000 if their pay is backdated six years, but if they don’t win they won’t get a penny.”

Council leader Councillor Ken Thornber said: “About 27,000 staff come under the new pay arrangements and just over 1,000 claims have been lodged.

“These are being contested by the council and it is most unlikely that any will be concluded in the current financial year.”

Southampton City Council refused to comment.

It’s all in a name . . .

UNDER the new pay deal council workers previously known as home carers are now being called “reablement workers”.

Their job is to work with people in their homes for up to six weeks to help them back on their feet.

Under the new pay structure the reablement workers had their pay increased by £4,000 so they were comparable with storemen.