Women win record equality payout

The Irish Republic's Labour Court has ordered four female aviation communications officers each to be paid nearly Irpounds 100,000 (pounds 93,000) backpay in the biggest single award in the history of the country's 10-year-old Equal Pay Act.

The government-appointed court made the record ruling after declaring that the women were doing the same job as their male employees, but being paid almost Irpounds 10,000-a-year less. The order that the applicants were entitled to equal pay was backdated to 1989.

The four women are based at the Irish Aviation Authority station near Shannon Airport, Co Clare, where they provide communication and weather services information to transatlantic flights.

They were sponsored in their action by Ireland's Civil and Public Service Union, which claimed there was "deep-rooted sex discrimination" at their workplace.

Monica Lyons, one of the four, said: "It has been a long fight ... and very tough."