Council workers

Catering and cleaning staff in Aberdeen are due to strike on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

The women workers, members of the T&G union, are demanding equal pay and backdated bonuses under the single status agreement.

In an attempt to stop the action Aberdeen City council is offering up to £15,000.

Letters were due to be sent out next week to nearly 2,500 mainly female staff, with details of the proposed settlement.

The offer, which covers five years’ back pay, aims to compensate the cleaners, caterers and carers by bringing their jobs into line with those of equal value being carried out by their male counterparts.

Last month, about 600 workers walked out after rejecting an initial offer from the council.

The workers are due to meet on Friday to discuss the offer.

The Aberdeen strikers are claiming 100 percent back pay, with some women believing they were entitled to £25,000.

More than 500 female workers have rejected an offer to settle their equal pay dispute in Edinburgh.

The women, including caterers, cleaners and carers, have refused to accept offers of £4,000 each in compensation from the council because they believe it does not match the amount they have been underpaid over the years.

More than 2,800 claims were prompted after four dinner ladies complained last year that they were receiving lower bonus payments than male colleagues.

Union representatives at Unison said the women were entitled to up to £12,500 each.