Fórsa’s Local Government and Local Services Division wants action to ensure that staff in the same grade are paid equally, regardless of what council they work for.

The union has told the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which represents council employers, that workers in a range of grades are not receiving the same pay for the same work.

But the LGMA flatly reject any proposal to resolve the problem.

The union now wants to refer the issue to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), and the divisional executive is making contact with groups representing the grades concerned. They include archivists, heritage officers, museum curators, environmental awareness officers, and housing-tenant liaison officers.

Local government branches are also being asked to identify other areas where the inequality exists.