COUNCIL tax-payers in York could face another massive compensation bombshell, after the city's council bosses missed a key deadline, campaigners claimed today.

More than 1,000 City of York Council workers could be entitled to a fresh equal pay claim, according to campaign group Action4Equality.

The issue of equal pay has also been back in the news over the past 24 hours, after tennis bosses set out a pay scale to give male and female competitors at Wimbledon the same prize money.

City of York Council has already paid out about £2 million compensating underpaid workers, but the campaigners say the authority could have to pay out as much again, unless they act now to implement legislation.

They say the council failed to enact equal pay by April 1, meaning staff are entitled to more compensation.

The group's Eileen Goodenough said women who had accepted compensation already had a fresh claim, dating from April 1 until equal pay is implemented.

She said: "If all of the women employed by City of York Council who have been offered compensation lodge equal pay claims in the employment tribunal, based on a 33 per cent difference in pay, and an average settlement of around £1,500 for Grades 1-6 for a six month period, it could cost the council as much for that six months as it did for the previous six years.

"This is because the women would be claiming their higher actual entitlement, not the fraction of their entitlement which the council gave them."

Ms Goodenough also said those who had not accepted compensation could pursue a claim for a longer period.

She said: "The council has spent over £2 million buying off' the equal pay claim from their low paid women workers. The council failed to implement equal pay by 1997, in accordance with an agreement between councils and unions.

"In 2004, a new deadline of April 1, 2007 was given to councils to implement equal pay. City of York Council has failed to meet that deadline.

"This means that, as the council has not introduced equal pay and they are continuing to pay the men more, these women have new equal pay claims from April 1, 2007, running forward, for as long as it takes the council to implement equal pay."

Council leader Steve Galloway declined to discuss the matter because, he said, Action4Equality were trying to provoke a council response that could have implications at any future industrial tribunal.

A council spokesman said: "The council strongly supports the principle of equal pay and is doing all it can to bring this issue to a fair and reasonable conclusion for all of the employees concerned.

"We are dealing with all equal pay issues with individual employees in liaison with the trade unions and Acas.

"We are aware of the matter relating to the expiry of the current compensation agreements and are considering options to deal with this as part of the overall management of the pay and grading project during the current year.

"If any of our employees want to discuss this issue they can contact their trade union representative or the council's equal pay helpline."