HUNDREDS of low-paid North-East workers have been offered a bumper pay rise after a deal was struck between council chiefs and unions.

Lengthy negotiations have resulted in Middlesbrough Council staff winning an estimated £2m windfall as part of a national job evaluation and single status agreement.

About 2,000 council staff - mainly women doing manual and domestic jobs - could collect as much as £6,200 each.

The move comes after neighbouring Redcar and Cleveland Council became the first in the region to sign a deal for single status for its staff. Nearly 4,000 workers shared a £5.3m payout, but a further 140 members of staff refused to accept and have lodged equal pay claims at an employment tribunal.

Some workers in Middlesbrough have engaged Tyneside solicitor Stefan Cross in a fight for a better settlement.

Mr Cross said last night: "If the council thinks this is going to resolve the matter they are seriously misguided."

The chief executive of Middlesbrough Council, Brian Dinsdale, said the £2m payout had been included in this year's budget and will not result in job losses.

He said the offers to the workers - designed to make sure those doing jobs of equal value receive equal rewards - were made on individual circumstances, including length of service. But Mr Cross said half the staff will get less than £1,000 and the top payout of £6,200 will go to very few.

"There will be a large number of people who will sign up, but there are a considerable amount who are extremely upset and consider the offer an insult."

Mr Cross said he was acting for 400 Middlesbrough Council staff and expects more once the details of their offers are known. The 150 he had at Redcar and Cleveland has now risen to nearly 400.

Workers from other councils on Teesside, as well as in County Durham and Wearside, are also said to have sought the solicitor's advice.