Union did not discriminate

In GMB v Allen and others (31 July 2007), the EAT rules that a trade union did not indirectly discriminate against its female members when it agreed to a low back-pay settlement of their equal pay claims in order to give priority to protecting the pay of mainly male members.

This was an appeal from a 139-page judgment of a Newcastle tribunal, which found that the union had indirectly discriminated against equal pay claimants in Middlesbrough when negotiating over implementation of the local government Single Status Agreement by giving greater priority to pay protection for male groups of members than obtaining good back-pay agreements for its female members found to be employed on work of equal value (Unions left reeling over equal pay decision and Councils ignore equal pay deadline following advice that it is not contractually binding).