MORE than 90 women council workers taking legal action against Bolton Council over equal pay are to get a second offer of compensation.

The staff are among 541 ready to fight the council at an employment tribunal because they were not paid bonuses enjoyed by men in equivalent jobs.

Last year, they turned down the council's original offers, which were worth up to £8,000, and signed up with solicitors Stefan Cross in a bid to secure a better deal.

But council bosses have now identified 93 of the claims as "high risk" and admit in a new report that "their claims would be likely to succeed at an employment tribunal".

It says: "It is thought that tactically, to make such an offer shortly after the Christmas period would make it more attractive to many of the claimants."

The new offers being made are the same as the first, but with ten per cent of that figure added on to cover the costs levied by Stefan Cross when a client pulls out of a claim.

That will mean extra payments of between £28.60 and £800 per employee.

More than 2,200 of the staff affected by equal pay, including cleaners, lollipop ladies and dinner ladies, last year accepted the council's first offer and it has paid out more than £7 million.

But Paul Savage of the Action For Equality campaign which recruited clients for Stefan Cross in Bolton, said the firm advises women who turned down the offer to stand their ground.

He said: "This is fantastically good news for our clients because it shows the council's desperation and that it knows Stefan Cross is going to win."

"Stefan Cross will not recommend that any of its clients should accept a pittance and women who accepted the council's offer have been done out of a considerable amount of money.

"The council's attitude of being sneaky and making these new offers after Christmas when people are financially vulnerable is an absolute disgrace."

Cllr Frank White, executive member for human resources, said: "We have heard anecdotally that some of these employees are saying they would not have signed up with Stefan Cross if they had known the process was going to take so long.

"It's not desperation on our part. We believe some of our staff now wish they could get out of their agreement with Stefan Cross and if they see some merit in our offer it is on the table.

"There is a cost benefit to us to settle now rather than go to the expense of a tribunal and we have a duty to the council tax payers of Bolton to come to a settlement and save some money."

Cllr White added that by making offers after Christmas the council was simply using common sense. "We would obviously look at a time we might think was opportune," he said.

The council has decided to achieve equal pay by removing the bonuses of more than 300 men in equivalent jobs such as refuse collection, pest control and grave-digging.