Oct. 18 (UPI) — Florida International University has agreed to pay $575,000 in back pay and interest to dozens of women for allegedly paying them less than men in similar positions, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs said that FIU paid 163 female employees less than men in similar positions between Aug. 1, 2017, and Aug. 1, 2018.

“Employers that hold federal contracts must provide all employees with equal employment opportunities and audit their employment processes to make certain no barriers to equal employment exist,” Aida Collins, regional director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, said in a news release.

“We appreciate that Florida International University worked cooperatively with the Department of Labor to resolve our concerns.”

The agreement includes back wages and damages and sets aside $125,000 to resolve future pay disparity issues and ensure employment practices and policies are free from discrimination.

FIU is among the nation’s 10 largest universities with more than 55,000 students and an emphasis on research. It provides educational, research and security services to the federal government.

Executive Order 11246 prohibits federal contractors for discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.