| Equal pay claims have risen drastically in | | | | increased so dramatically in just two short |
| the last two years, raising questions over | | | | years? In a recent Forbes list of the 100 |
| whether the legal system can cope with the | | | | most powerful women in the world, occupations |
| deluge of claims flooding the courts. | | | | included CEOs, secretaries of state, vice |
| Particularly badly affected are the NHS and | | | | presidents, presidents, politicians and prime |
| public sectors, but employment lawyers | | | | ministers. Women have broken the glass |
| predict the private sector will start to feel | | | | ceiling and are at the forefront of business, |
| the pain in the not too distant future. | | | | politics and professions, but inequality in |
| | | | pay is still a major issue for the fairer |
| Among the factors leading to an increase in | | | | sex. |
| equal pay claims, the upsurge of 'no win no | | | | |
| fee' solicitors has been blamed by a top | | | | But can legal action help the cause? With |
| trade union official as a core concern. | | | | tribunals at breaking point from the flood of |
| | | | pay claims against local authorities, Jenny |
| Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, | | | | Watson, previous chair of the equal |
| has laid the blame at the feet of lawyers, | | | | opportunities commission, said, while still |
| saying: "no win no fee solicitors are finding | | | | in office, that the flood of pay claims |
| equal pay claims a very lucrative bandwagon." | | | | brought recently against local authorities |
| | | | was pushing the Employment Tribunal to |
| As it currently stands in Britain there is a | | | | breaking point. The system seems to have been |
| 17% gap between men and women working | | | | under prepared for the increased workload and |
| fulltime and 38% when working part time. But | | | | has not had a proportionate increase in staff |
| current law only provides for equal pay | | | | to help deal with the increased volume of |
| rights where the difference in pay is due to | | | | claims. |
| sexual discrimination. | | | | |
| | | | One defense put up against the numbers is |
| From April 06 to March 07 there were just | | | | that they are exaggerated due to the number |
| under one quarter of a million claims | | | | of group claims that have been launched. |
| accepted by the employment tribunals - up | | | | Before she left the EOC, Watson suggested |
| from just over 156,081 during the same period | | | | that there be a moratorium on new claims, |
| in 04/05. Equal pay accounted for 44,013 | | | | with affected companies given three years to |
| claims having risen from just 8,229 in 04/05. | | | | rectify the situation. She also indicated |
| The success rate for such claims was just two | | | | that she felt the growth in the area of 'no |
| per cent at full tribunal level although a | | | | win no fee' solicitors would continue, as the |
| lot are settled before this point. | | | | number of women seeking legal advice over pay |
| | | | related disputes shows no sign of dropping. |
| So why have the figures for equal pay claims | | | | |