By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent
A group of female classroom assistants and nursery workers have won an important stage in their fight for equal pay.
The decision by the Supreme Court in their favour could have far-reaching implications around the UK.
The 251 employees of Dumfries and Galloway Council had argued that they were entitled to pay that was equal to the money received by men working at a similar level.
They wanted equality with men in positions such as leisure attendants, groundsmen and road workers.
The male employees have been earning 30% bonuses to which the women have not been entitled.
The arrangement has hinged on the fact that the men work in a separate establishment within the council infrastructure.
After an eight-year fight through the courts, with mixed results, the female employees have received the backing of the UK Supreme Court to take their claim back to an employment tribunal.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, the union representing the women, told Sky News: "I am delighted that the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of our women members.
"It is a shame, though, that they have had to go through this process and endure a seven year wait just to get equal pay.
Unison's Dave Prentis hailed the Supreme Court's decision "Dumfries and Galloway Council should take immediate steps to correct their pay and I urge other councils to follow suit."
The union has more than 2,000 other similar cases lined up and waiting for a final resolution.
It says it now expects a full victory which, in Scotland alone, could cost council employers well over £500m in wages and pension entitlements backdated to when the claim was launched in 2005.
Elaine North, a class support teacher who was one of the appellants, told Sky News: "This has been a very long fight but we knew all along that we should be able to compare our work with the men.
"We have won what is rightfully ours."
Dumfries and Galloway Council said in a statement: "The Supreme Court judgment is the most recent stage of the legal process.
"The appellants, including classroom assistants and nursery nurses, now have won the right to have their jobs compared to those of male manual workers, such as road workers and groundsmen.
"This judgment has implications for many local authorities and other public bodies."
It said the council would "now consider its position in response to the Supreme Court judgment".
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