Councils faced a constant round of industrial disputes as one group of workers tried to get wage parity or protect their pay differentials with another and everyone from gravediggers to binmen, busdrivers and teachers had an annual bout of either "working to rule" or not working at all.
Thankfully less damaging means of settling pay claims are the norm today but as work roles change there is a need to review pay structures constantly to ensure genuinely-felt grievances are not allowed to grow into industrial action or costly court and tribunal cases.
That's why Blackburn with Darwen Council is taking a sensible step in reviewing the 1,000 different types of jobs held by its 5,000 plus employees to prevent the kind of potentially financially-crippling compensation claims that have been brought in the North East under legislation like the Equal Pay Act.
The review is likely to result in a third of jobs getting a pay increase, another third getting less and the rest staying the same - and add about £3million to the wage bill.
Such planned action is certainly preferable to the sudden disruption and chaos of the past.
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