A UNION has launched a campaign to secure equal pay for women working in the North-East's local authorities.

Thousands of women in the region are employed in low-paid manual jobs and often struggle to make ends meet, according to the GMB Northern Region.

Women working as care assistants, cooks, cleaners and other similar jobs are being targeted by the union's campaign.

Colin Smith, GMB regional head of local government, said: "These women do vital work for their communities and get little thanks. They have always struggled to make a living as one of the lowest paid sections of the workforce.

"To add insult, they don't get the same level of pay as many of their male colleagues working for the same employer, even though it has been accepted for many years that their jobs have the same value."

He said that men in manual jobs in local government could be paid more than 30 per cent more than women in work of equal value.

Local government promised in 1997 to address the problem by introducing single status across its jobs - but the GMB claims little has been done about the problem.

GMB regional secretary Tom Brennan said: "We are responding to calls from our women members to get this sorted, once and for all.

"Their patience has worn thin and we now intend to put their claims before employment tribunals to establish their rights."