A pay dispute with Kirklees Council has rumbled on for more than 10 years after unions realised home care staff were getting paid less than others in the same pay grade.

Kirklees gardeners and refuse collectors were getting more than the mostly female workers, whose tasks include cleaning, personal care, shopping, making and serving meals and collecting pensions.

An equal pay compensation claim was launched and in 2005 they were given their individual offers - which varied in amount.

As a result appeals were launched through solicitors.

Sheila Wilkinson, who has been a home care assistant for 18 years, was offered back pay covering 22 hours a week from 1999 to 2007.
But the 64-year-old from Cleckheaton said that was nowhere near the number of hours she actually worked.

And she had all the pay slips to prove it.

Last week letters were sent out telling workers if they did not accept the latest offers they would have to wait another three years until anything was offered again.

Mrs Wilkinson said: "They are blackmailing us – either accept or don't get anything. People who needed the money have taken the offer. They panicked them into accepting."

Once pay deals are accepted, workers sign a contract agreeing not to disclose the amounts they have been promised.

But Mrs Wilkinson said amounts were discussed before agreements were signed and it exposed a big disparity in pay offers.

Now she wants to know how the hours have been worked out.

She said: "There has been no research at all into any of the hours we have worked. It's like they have picked figures out of the air. We have never found out the rate they were basing it on. We are asking to be paid for the hours we have worked.

"I want people to know how we are being treated by our award-winning council.

"One young colleague was in tears – she knows she is worth more than the amount offered."

Across Kirklees employees like Sheila have launched appeals against the offers.

A council spokeswoman said each case was very complex and had to be dealt with on an individual basis.

Types of roles have to be compared as well as when people worked and the nature of their role.

She said only part of a person's hours are relevant regarding the claim and negotiations with solicitors were still taking place.

Single status talks are still going on between the council and unions to introduce new equal pay rates.