Glasgow's MSPs and Equal Pay
I follow all Glasgow's MSPs and MPs on Twitter and every so often I send them a message about the fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council.
Here's an example of a tweet I sent the other day to Ivan McKee, the SNP for Glasgow Provan.
Now Parliament’s back, here are some highlights of a very busy and varied summer...
@Mark1957
Does the fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council get a mention?
Now I haven't heard back from Ivan as yet, but that's no big deal because the main purpose is to remind Glasgow's 15 MSPs and MPs that they will have to get involved sooner or later because the City Council can't find a way out of this mess on its own.
The fact is that Glasgow needs practical help from the Scottish Government and access to borrowing which is not available under present rules.
So Ivan and his Glasgow colleagues have a big role to play.
Equal pay claimants in Glasgow will be asked to take part in wide range of campaign activities in the weeks ahead, as the GMB and Unison strike ballot get underway and as all the outstanding cases return to the Glasgow Employment Tribunal.
One of the key tasks is for people to contact their local Councillors, MSPs and MPs to ask where they stand on the Council's refusal to negotiate key issues which have still not been addressed after 8 months and 18 separate settlement meetings, e.g. the male comparator jobs to be used in calculating offers of compensation.
Hi Nicola
Glasgow's chief executive, Annemarie O'Donnell, has been 'parroting' the same old nonsense for weeks about the City Council's discredited WPBR pay arrangements, making the laughable claim that:
"acting in good faith, officers and the council sought to put in place arrangements which they believed removed discrimination from the council’s pay arrangements."
Now this is nonsense on stilts, if you ask me.
Because no one can argue, while keeping a straight face at least, that the WPBR's cockamamy '37 hour rule' was not deliberately designed to 'disadvantage' the City Council's largely female workforce, the vast majority of whom are (surprise, surprise) contracted to work for less than 37 hours a week.
It's as plain as the nose on your face and as Judge Judy would say:
"If it doesn't make sense, it's not true."
In my view, it is simply ridiculous that Scotland highest paid local government official should be defending this indefensible nonsense (see post below dated 22 March 2018).
In fact, it's about as crazy as this Cockatoo getting all shook up to Elvis Presley and 'Don't Be Cruel' - though not quite as funny, I have to admit.
So I hereby challenge Annemarie to a public debate where she can defend her claim that the WPBR was put in place 'in good faith' - because it's high time the City Council's senior officials were put on the spot to explain their actions.
Now I haven't heard back from Ivan as yet, but that's no big deal because the main purpose is to remind Glasgow's 15 MSPs and MPs that they will have to get involved sooner or later because the City Council can't find a way out of this mess on its own.
The fact is that Glasgow needs practical help from the Scottish Government and access to borrowing which is not available under present rules.
So Ivan and his Glasgow colleagues have a big role to play.
Glasgow - Councillors, MSPs and MPs (29/08/18)
Equal pay claimants in Glasgow will be asked to take part in wide range of campaign activities in the weeks ahead, as the GMB and Unison strike ballot get underway and as all the outstanding cases return to the Glasgow Employment Tribunal.
One of the key tasks is for people to contact their local Councillors, MSPs and MPs to ask where they stand on the Council's refusal to negotiate key issues which have still not been addressed after 8 months and 18 separate settlement meetings, e.g. the male comparator jobs to be used in calculating offers of compensation.
Now I know that the response of at least some politicians will be to try and fob such enquiries off with a bog standard reply which just regurgitates the Council's official position - that all is well and a 'deal' will be reached by the end of the year.
But don't be put off by this kind of behaviour and instead use the information on the blog site and from the unions to challenge what these politicians are saying, for example by asking:
- Where do they stand on the WPBR - do they accept that the Council's scheme is 'unfit for purpose' and blatantly discriminatory?
- Where do they stand on the 37 hour rule - do they agree that key part of the WPBR was designed to favour male jobs and disadvantage female dominated jobs?
- What do they have to say about the prospect of industrial action - do they believe the trade unions are just picking a fight or do they accept there is a justified sense of grievance over the way settlement negotiations have been conducted?
Better still ask for a meeting with your local Councillors, MSPs and MPs so that you can discuss these issues face-to-face in a civilised fashion, perhaps over a nice cup of tea or coffee.
One of the best known Glasgow claimants (Frances S) has already sprung into action with the following email to the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, which is a great example of how to proceed.
Hi Nicola
Can myself and a couple of my work colleagues have a meeting with you regarding our equal pay as GCC have left us no option but to come out on strike they have had 18 meetings with our representatives and not one thing has been negotiated yet.
We feel this has been going on long enough now and just want it resolved, that was another one of our colleges young woman at 51 that has passed away waiting on her payout how many more of us will have passed away waiting on our claim getting settled.
Thanks
Frances
Thanks
Frances
So be friendly, reasonable and on your best behaviour at all times - ask for a meeting with other local claimants (i.e. friends or co-workers) who live in the same area and make the case that Glasgow City Council can't go on in this fashion.
Because the senior officials who have been defending the 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme for years are the same senior officials who are now leading the settlement talks on the Council's behalf which is why, after 8 months and 18 separate meetings, serious negotiations have still not got off the ground.
Glasgow, Chief Execs and Cockatoos (08/04/18)
Glasgow's chief executive, Annemarie O'Donnell, has been 'parroting' the same old nonsense for weeks about the City Council's discredited WPBR pay arrangements, making the laughable claim that:
"acting in good faith, officers and the council sought to put in place arrangements which they believed removed discrimination from the council’s pay arrangements."
Now this is nonsense on stilts, if you ask me.
Because no one can argue, while keeping a straight face at least, that the WPBR's cockamamy '37 hour rule' was not deliberately designed to 'disadvantage' the City Council's largely female workforce, the vast majority of whom are (surprise, surprise) contracted to work for less than 37 hours a week.
It's as plain as the nose on your face and as Judge Judy would say:
"If it doesn't make sense, it's not true."
In my view, it is simply ridiculous that Scotland highest paid local government official should be defending this indefensible nonsense (see post below dated 22 March 2018).
In fact, it's about as crazy as this Cockatoo getting all shook up to Elvis Presley and 'Don't Be Cruel' - though not quite as funny, I have to admit.
So I hereby challenge Annemarie to a public debate where she can defend her claim that the WPBR was put in place 'in good faith' - because it's high time the City Council's senior officials were put on the spot to explain their actions.
