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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Civil Service inequality back-pay | Civil Service inequality back-pay |
| (1 day later) | |
| Low-paid civil servants may receive £100m in back-pay under plans by Finance Minister Peter Robinson. | |
| He said he was prepared to deal with historic inequality in pay, affecting as many as 9,000 workers. | |
| The problem dates back 38 years, during which historically 60% of Catholics and two-thirds of women were predominant in the lower pay scales. | |
| He has told officials to look at the scope of the problem and engage with trade unions to resolve the issue. | He has told officials to look at the scope of the problem and engage with trade unions to resolve the issue. |
| Mr Robinson said there may be serious financial implications "but I am not prepared to follow the actions of people who preceded me and leave it unresolved". | |
| "There should be equal pay for equal work of equal value." | "There should be equal pay for equal work of equal value." |
| Up to £20,000 | |
| The move will affect about 9,000 civil servants in the lowest grades, mostly in secretarial and administrative posts. | The move will affect about 9,000 civil servants in the lowest grades, mostly in secretarial and administrative posts. |
| More than 60% of civil servants employed at the AA and AO grades are from a Catholic background. | More than 60% of civil servants employed at the AA and AO grades are from a Catholic background. |
| Workers who have retired from the Civil Service in the past six years could be entitled to the back-pay, which could be up to £20,000. | Workers who have retired from the Civil Service in the past six years could be entitled to the back-pay, which could be up to £20,000. |
| The finance minister said the executive could either approach the Treasury or find the money from last year's underspend in Northern Ireland. | The finance minister said the executive could either approach the Treasury or find the money from last year's underspend in Northern Ireland. |
| "Direct rule ministers did not want to touch this issue because of the enormous amount of calculations and difficulties," he said. | "Direct rule ministers did not want to touch this issue because of the enormous amount of calculations and difficulties," he said. |
| John Corey of public service union Nipsa said they had long-standing claims for equal pay, "particularly for our members in the lowest-paid grades". | |
| He said the union had last year begun an industrial tribunal process to ensure his members received their legal rights under equal pay legislation. |