THOUSANDS of women are a step closer to receiving a payout for equal pay after years of legal wrangling over the sums they are owed.

It follows a ruling in the case of 300 North Lanarkshire Council workers, some of whom have been waiting 10 years for their settlements, who were in dispute with the council over the amount of interest they should be paid for their backdated claims.

The standard interest rate in such cases is set at 8 per cent, but the council sought to have this reduced to around 4 per cent - resulting in many of the women losing thousands of pounds.

However, in a move which is likely to cost the council millions of pounds, employment judge Frances Eccles ruled that the interest rate cannot be changed by the tribunal.

Solicitor Carol Fox, of Fox and Partners, the firm which represented the women, claimed the move will also benefit the 2,800 other clients she has seeking a claim against North Lanarkshire, as well as thousands more at other local authorities.

Ms Fox also accused the council of using the interest rate issue as a delay tactic.

She said: "We are really delighted to have a further decision in favour of our claimants. We expected to win on interest and hope that all councils with outstanding equal pay cases will now think very carefully about continuing to defend this litigation.

"In summer 2015 many of these cases will reach their tenth anniversary.

"For the past decade women have fought a determined struggle for justice and equality in the face of opposition, obstruction and deliberate tactics employed to delay cases.

"We are now in the final phase of these equal pay cases and we call upon every local authority in Scotland to ensure that claimants now receive settlements without further delay."

The council had argued that the existing rate of judicial interest at 8 per cent was unfair to the council and would result in them suffering a "serious injustice".

They claimed the tribunal had the power to amend the rate, but Judge Eccles refuted this, saying: "The tribunal was not persuaded that it has the power to vary the rate of interest that may be awarded to the claimants."

Claimant June Findlay, who worked as a clerical assistant at the council but is now retired, said she was delighted with the decision on the interest rate.

The 63-year-old, from Motherwell, who lodged her claim in 2007, said: "I'm just so pleased that it's finally come to a head and we're hopefully going to get what we're owed.

"I just can't understand why it's taken so long but I'm delighted that it looks like it's going to be settled at last.

"The council was just obviously trying to pay as little as possible even though we were entitled to it and it was also trying to put off paying us by doing this.

"It was absolutely ridiculous, it had already admitted that it had to pay out the settlements, so why delay it any longer.

"If it had been settled years ago it would have cost the council a lot less as it wouldn't have as much interest to pay."

Fox and Partners also tried to claim the women should be entitled to compensation for "injury to feelings" cause by unequal pay, but the tribunal rejected this.

Judge Eccles found that as it was a contractual issue, compensation should be for economic loss only.

A spokesman for North Lanarkshire Council said: "The tribunal judgment deals with complex legal issues and needs to be studied in detail.

"The council is pleased the judge has ruled in its favour on the question of compensation for injury to feelings, in which claimants' representatives attempted, unsuccessfully, to overturn established legal precedents.

"While the council recognises that the employment judge has not accepted its arguments in relation to judicial interest, we are considering whether this should be subject to an appeal."