Hundreds of Sheffield school staff to receive cash windfall as council pays out over unfair wages
"The union will continue to deal with pay injustice wherever it occurs”
Hundreds of Sheffield school staff have been offered payouts by Sheffield Council, following years of underpayment.
Offers have been sent to staff at 38 schools in the city under the Sheffield Role Review Programme, which has looked at what the authority has been paying some of its traditionally female dominated roles.
They have been made to around 1,000 workers, who are also expected to receive top ups to their pension funds.
It is expected to affect jobs including office staff and teaching assistants, but not teachers.
Unions have confirmed offers have now been sent out, and it is believed payments are expected to be made this summer, backdated to 2018.
Unison regional organiser George Ayre said: "This will affect a significant number of low-paid support staff at community schools.
"It's the result of a lengthy negotiation process to help workers who've experienced pay inequality.
"The union will continue to deal with pay injustice wherever it occurs."
Peter Davies, Head of GMB's Regional Equal Pay Unit, said: “This week marks a powerful moment for working people in Sheffield.
“For many of these workers, this money will make a real and tangible difference to their lives.
“This progress reflects the collective work between GMB and Sheffield City Council to address historic inequalities.
“We need to ensure that pay injustice is never again something council employees in Sheffield are forced to experience."
The issue was initially raised with Sheffield Council by GMB in September 2023.
Then last year the authority reached a landmark equal pay agreement with three recognised union Unison, GMB and Unite.
Sheffield Council has told The Star the work is being carried out in stages and eligible employees in community-maintained schools are now being contacted with their individual equal pay redress offers
Just over 1,000 employees across 38 Sheffield City Council community-maintained schools received their offers on 23 and 24 April 2026.
The total cost of the payouts is expected to run into millions of pounds, Sheffield Council has previously stated.
The council told The Star that the number of employees receiving offers now is slightly lower than figures which were suggested as likely last year, because six schools have since converted to academy status and eight schools had not yet completed the required data assurance process.
They added: “Schools that have not yet completed the data assurance process or have recently converted to an academy will be included later this year, once that work is finalised.
“Community-maintained schools are being treated separately from other council services, because the process needed to be tailored to work for schools.”
Payments to eligible staff in schools will not be funded from individual school budgets, and the current stage of offers for community-maintained schools, is the latest part in a planned process, they added.
Some staff could receive payments of up to five figures for years of underpayment. However, all the payments will be subject to tax and national insurance contributions.
Around 90 per cent of those affected in the schools are women.
In partnership with Trade Unions, the council looked at every role in maintained schools and has identified cases where staff were eligible for equal pay redress. Every role was considered, regardless of whether a claim was submitted.
Unison said last year that they have been been working with the council to assess female dominated job roles against potential comparator male dominated job roles across the whole organisation to see if pay inequality can be proven.
Kate Josephs, chief executive at Sheffield City Council, said last year when the agreement was first announced: “This agreement is not only a resolution of a local issue, but also a demonstration of how complex, long-standing equal pay challenges can be addressed constructively, collaboratively, and at pace.
“The Council and Trade Unions have worked together to reach a solution that is both fair and forward-looking. Our workforce plays a vital role in our city and their contribution to residents’ lives and our organisation cannot be understated. We are committed to ensuring they receive the pay they deserve.”