Glasgow: Just Imagine - Radio Silence

So it seems that some folks in the City Council would like to put Stefan Cross on the 'naughty step' for keeping Glasgow's equal pay Claimants informed about what has been happening during marathon settlement talks which have been dragging on for almost 12 months now.  

Just imagine what things would look like if the Council got its way - virtual 'radio silence' from December 2017 onwards with thousands of claimants being kept in the dark, unless a joint statement had been issued, subject to agreement with Council officials and elected politicians, of course.

I wonder how the SNP Group would have reacted, if a previous Labour-run council made a similar proposal? 

The reality is that Stefan's regular updates have ensured that the Claimants know what's going on without breaking the confidentiality of the negotiating process which really got underway in earnest only six weeks ago or so, of course.

For months the Council moved at the speed of a glacier and then tried to break off negotiations altogether in the summer - a deliberate provocation which led to the GMB and Unison strike ballots along with the Employment Tribunal process starting up again.   

Meanwhile Glasgow's chief executive, Annemarie O'Donnell, felt free to continue with her one-sided portrayal of events through a series of regular emails to the 'Council Family' - yet senior officials and politicians have the gall to complain about Stefan Cross keeping the Claimants properly informed.

But I'm sure Stefan won't allow himself to be 'gagged' - it didn't happen under the last Labour-run council and I've no doubt 'radio silence' won't be observed under an SNP-led council either.

Sure, there's a time and place for both sides in sensitive  negotiations to cool the beans with their public comments, but that has to be balanced with the Claimants' right to know what is going on.

Whatever happens there is no going back to 2005 when all of this was decided behind closed doors - in what was an affront to democracy and good local government.     

   

I’VE SAID TOO MUCH, APPARENTLY 

So there were no meetings with the council this week. I’m told the council were very pee’d off with my last two posts. They think I didn’t keep to an agreement not to slag off SusanA. I disagree. I don’t criticise her for not reaching agreement by Xmas. In fact I think extending the negotiations was sensible and said so. Seems I can’t win. The council think I say too much and some of you think I say too little. 

😢😢😢

So the council Now want a complete ban on me saying anything - except it’s all going brilliantly (which isn’t entirely true). 

But we haven’t agreed that, yet. 

So this might be my last permitted post. Or the council might walk away from negotiations because they don’t like my posts. Hopefully they won’t be that silly. 

Anyway, away from the numbers we have to deal with the terms of any settlement, assuming we can get agreement on money. These include a memorandum of understanding (the agreement between the council and the negotiating team ) and the proposed settlement agreement- which each claimant would have to sign. We have literally been requesting these for a year now and we’ve still received nothing. We even sent them a draft settlement agreement nine months ago to which they have not responded. 

Yet again, enough is enough. Time for them to deliver. (I wonder how many times I’m going to have to say that).

In the meantime, the claimant Group meetings have taken place and they have been incredibly useful and productive. And the ongoing work by Karl Bromley is just phenomenal. 

The council have kindly agreed to talk to us again with meeting listed to start again Tuesday. Let’s hope we can clear the air in a kind and respectful manner and get back down to business. It would be nice to have a peaceful Xmas. 

Just a reminder, if it doesn’t go well, we are back in tribunal 20-22nd February and remedies are now listed for 23rd to 30th April. 

We are also sorting out test claimants for the Equal Value Process which has also just started. The various claimant teams will be contacting people in the next few days and weeks. 

So we are using the gaps in meetings productively and to your benefit.

I’m now going to shut up. 

Stefan Cross