A SETTLEMENT on equal pay has been reached between South Lanarkshire Council and more than 3000 claimants following four years of bitter legal battles

A SETTLEMENT on equal pay has been reached between South Lanarkshire Council and more than 3000 claimants following four years of bitter legal battles

Yesterday's agreement follows several months of settlement discussions between the council and Fox and Partners, Stefan Cross QC and Action 4 Equality Scotland Ltd.

Council leader Eddie McAvoy said: "The administration has been guided throughout this process by the legal advice we have received, but we've always been very clear that any claimants who were entitled to additional money should get it.

"Towards the end of last year it seemed that the circumstances were right to try to achieve a negotiated settlement, and I am pleased that the talks have concluded successfully."

The council said the full details of the overall settlement will remain confidential, although it is thought to run into millions of pounds.

The local authority added that the money would be taken from its reserve funds.

A Freedom of Information request lodged by equal pay campaigners in 2010 revealed many male employees of the council were paid more than women in comparable roles.

Carol Fox, of Fox and Partners, said: "This has been a complex and long-running case but we are delighted that we have been able to secure a settlement that we can recommend to our clients. It has taken a considerable amount of time and legal work to progress a mass settlement for more than 3000 individual claimants.

"We will be contacting them all in due course to outline what the settlement means to them, and we ask them for their continued patience and co-operation as we do that in the coming months."