STRIKES over equal pay for council workers are unlikely to go ahead after Redbridge Council entered serious negotiations with the GMB union.

Around 1,600 teaching assistants, IT workers, carers and other employees of the local authority were set to be balloted on strike action after Redbridge refused to backdate pay to April 2007, as required under the 1997 Single Status Pay Agreement.

The agreement would cost the council an estimated £9.6 million, but the council would have spent just £2.4 million if proposals to backdate pay to just April 2010 were agreed by the GMB.

But union spokesman Darren Powell told the Guardian that the council have come back with an improved offer that has stayed the union’s hand.

He added: “At this moment in time we don’t anticipate strike action but we can’t rule it out at a later date.” “Redbridge have delayed, delayed and delayed but there are now serious negotiations going on.”

“There have been offers made to settle equal pay claims but currently they’re nowhere near what the total settlement could be.”

But the GMB will not ballot members while there are negotiations continuing. Rather they will wait until a formal offer is made to each member and then ballot the council workers over whether to strike.

A council spokesman said: “The council has no overriding legal obligation to backdate Single Status to 2007.”

“By backdating the offer to April 2010 the council balances the need to implement single status for our employees, against the difficult economic times the council is currently facing.

“Our employees are key in delivering our services but at the same time we need to make sure we don’t compromise the vital services that we deliver to our residents.”

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