FEMALE council workers have won more than £1 billion this year following equal pay campaigns by the GMB union, with 10,000 more cases set to be launched next year.

Progress has been particularly notable in jobs such as care, cleaning and catering which are typically graded lower or have worse terms and conditions than male-dominated roles, such as refuse collection.

The Equality Act 2010 says women and men must receive the same pay and contractual terms, including in roles that are different but hold “equal value.”

GMB has said that thousands of those who were underpaid for years compared with male colleagues have now received just over £1bn in money they were owed.

About 40,000 claims remain outstanding across 28 local authorities, which the GMB said were likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

The union’s head of industrial relations Rhea Wolfson said: “Fifty years on from the Equal Pay Act, it should be a source of national shame we have to make these claims.

“But it’s amazing to know more than £1bn will now be paid to the women who are owed it.

“Employers need to take note in 2026 — wherever GMB sees women being underpaid compared to men, in the public or private sector, we are coming for you.”

Glasgow Council paid the largest equal pay claim after a deal was struck in 2022 for a total £770 million.

GMB and Unison also hailed a “historic” £250m equal pay claim settlement at Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children’s Trust last week, following a four-year campaign.

The amount was a fraction of the £650-760m cost estimated by the city council when it declared effective bankruptcy in 2023.