Specialist claimant firm Leigh Day & Co has secured a key Supreme Court victory in an equal pay case which is set to allow equal pay claims to be brought in the civil courts as well as employment tribunals.

In what is being viewed as a landmark ruling, Birmingham City Council was unsuccessful in arguing that equal pay claims made by a group of former council employees should be thrown out, with the Supreme Court rejecting the council's appeal.

The claimants, a 174-strong group of former council employees who were mainly women, had worked in roles such as cooks, cleaners and care staff, and had left their jobs between 2004 and 2008.

They subsequently sought compensation in 2010 after bonuses were paid to colleagues in traditionally male-dominated jobs such as refuse collectors, street cleaners and road workers.

The council – which instructed Cloisters employment specialists Paul Epstein QC and Nathaniel Caiden and Louise Chudleigh of Old Square Chambers – argued that the former employees should have lodged their complaints within six months of leaving the council, as per employment tribunal rules.

The employees were represented by Outer Temple barristers Andrew Short QC and Naomi Ling, instructed by Leigh Day employment partner Chris Benson.

The judgment handed down by Lord Wilson effectively extends the time limit for equal pay claims from six months to six years and now allows claims to be heard in the High Court.

Following the decision – which Leigh Day claimes marks the biggest change to equal pay legislation since it was introduced in 1970 – the firm revealed it has another 1,000 claims pending in Birmingham alone with thousands more in other areas around the UK awaiting this decision.

Benson said: "This is a great day for equality and for all those women massively underpaid over many years within public and private organisations.

"Birmingham Council should now do the decent thing and settle the claims. They saved money by underpaying ex-workers for so many years, and so should now stop wasting taxpayers' money fighting court cases they cannot win."