26.06.18
Over 100 Birmingham council staff drop legal claims in major U-turn
Legal claims by over 100 Birmingham City Council staff members have been inexplicably dropped this week.
The multimillion-pound claims, spanning sexual discrimination and equal pay, were dropped with no clear reason for the decision given by employment tribunal records.
Claims of the U-turn, noted by a Birmingham Live reporter at the tribunal, were over eight separate cases and were dismissed last week after Judge Findlay announced they had all been withdrawn by staff members.
No reason was given for dropping the claims, and it is not confirmed as to whether out-of-court settlements have been made by the council.
In February this year Birmingham CC was said to be making cuts of £53m over the next year in an effort to balance the books. In September last year the council was forced to retain its improvement panel after widely-reported industrial action from refuse workers and resignation of its former leader John Clancy.
In the last decade alone, Birmingham Live noted, the authority has paid out £1.1bn in settling claims. Part of the funding of those payouts came from selling assets such as the NEC Exhibition centre and Grand Central Shopping Centre.
Birmingham City Council has declined to comment.
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