Equal pay: the women who won case against Birmingham city council

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/apr/11/equal-pay-women-birmingham-city-council

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It took more than six years and a hard-fought court battle for Joan Clulow, 72, and Pamela Saunders, 67, to finally receive compensation for the years they had been underpaid as home care workers.

"The pay was diabolical for what we did," said Saunders, a carer employed by Birmingham council for 30 years.

When the council finally graded jobs, it put theirs on a par with mainly male road cleaners and refuse collectors whose wages were boosted by bonuses, shift payments and attendance allowances. "We were gutted," said Clulow, a home carer for 25 years.

"It hurt because we worked that hard. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, night time if they needed us. We never refused," she added.

Saunders said: "We couldn't believe it. Don't get me wrong, the men do work hard, but we did work hard. And I couldn't see a lot of them doing what we do. Would they empty a commode, wash somebody down covered in mess, go into a house full of maggots and clean it up? But I'll tell you what, I would have gone and done a dustman's job for the day."

The pair, from Bartley Green in Birmingham, were among 170 women who won a supreme court ruling in 2012 that effectively extended the time limit for claiming back pay from six months to six years. They finally settled their claims in February, which has allowed Saunders to realise her dream of a new kitchen, and Clulow to go on a modest Mediterranean cruise with her daughter and contribute towards the deposit her granddaughter needs to get on the housing ladder.

But both women, who each have two children, could have done with the extra funds when their families were young. "We worked because it was a necessity, and we still had nothing left over. We're both knitters, we made the children's clothes, anything just to make things go that bit further," said Clulow.

Equal pay settlements are estimated to be costing Birmingham city council £1.1bn.

"I don't feel guilty. I worked for it," said Saunders. "People say 'how dare you?' But whose fault is that? If they had paid us properly in the first place ... "

That sentiment is shared by Carole Smith, 69, a home care assistant in Northfield, Birmingham, whose case took five years to settle. "I think it is fair. We worked for that money.

"I think there was a culture at the time that accepted women got paid less than men.

"It was hard work, emotionally as well as physically. I would say that carers put more into their jobs than cooks, or binmen."

Smith, who has two children and three stepchildren, believes Birmingham's delays on dealing with the issue have cost the council more in legal fees.

Like others, she is glad of the acknowledgment the settlement brings, and the money has allowed her to have her drive and bathroom upgraded. But it was needed at the time. "I was always saying to the kids 'I'm really sorry, we can't afford it," she said.