"Landmark" equal pay ruling to spark flurry of claims They won the case but Birmingham City Council lodged an appeal, arguing that such claims should only come before an employment tribunal, which it lost. It then took the case to the Supreme Court and lost again, having spent an estimated £1 million on legal bills. Chris Benson, a partner at law firm Leigh Day & Co, which represented the women, said: "This is a great day for equality and for all those women massively underpaid over many years within public and private organisations. Birmingham Council should now do the decent thing and settle the claims. They saved money by underpaying ex-workers for so many years, and so should now stop wasting taxpayers' money fighting court cases they cannot win. Mr Benson said they had another 1,000 cases pending in Birmingham alone and thousands more involving councils across the country, including Wolverhampton, Blackpool, Trafford and Croydon. David Hodge, head of employment at Brethertons LLP, said that while the ruling would likely affect most local councils, employees might find it harder to bring claims against smaller private companies. Those who are looking at their finances, such as the recently retired, may well be encouraged now to look back and assess whether have been disadvantaged. But equal pay is a complex area and claims are difficult to prove as one has to evidence that the disparity was based on gender. Disparity of pay has always been more apparent in the public sector because of the sheer numbers involved. With smaller employers it will be harder for an individual to show a comparator. Lisa Mayhew, an employment specialist at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, said: "Although this case originated in the public sector, today's decision it may well have a significant impact on the City, where female employees may now be more willing to bide their time and bring equal pay claims to the High Court. The Supreme Court judges decided that the High Court does have jurisdiction to hear an equal pay claim. This means that equal pay claims could be viewed as more lucrative and worthwhile pursuing by staff - a worrying prospect for employers. Equal pay claims fell by 17 per cent over the last year, dropping from 34,600 to 28,800, according to the Tribunals Service.