EQUAL PAY - GLASGOW LEADS THE WAY
Glasgow's decision to reach a settlement on equal pay has put all the other councils in Scotland on the spot.
Action 4 Equality's message for those councils still dragging their feet is: "If Glasgow can do it, so can you. So, let's stop shilly shallying about - the legal arguments are the same across the length and breadth of the country - they are not unique to Scotland's largest council."
Glasgow has done the only sensible thing because the writing was on the wall, if their cases went all the way through the Employment Tribunal process. In effect, Glasgow realised the game was up. So, they decided to bite the bullet and cut their losses.
Glasgow's decision has also shown up the trade unions in their true colours - not as champions of equal pay, but as organisations with too many vested interests and out of touch with their own members.
Action 4 Equality highlighted and explained the big pay differences between male and female council workers - not the trade unions.
The unions still pretend that they don't know how much how much the men are paid - yet the trade unions negotiated the higher rates of pay for the men in the first place, then deliberately kept this information hidden from the women members.
To make matters worse, the unions also encouraged their members to give up their claims for much less than they were really worth - losing many low paid workers thousands of pounds in the process.
So, it's time to crank up the pressure on other councils to follow Glasgow's lead. The make up and control of many councils will change after the local elections on May 3rd. And it's odds on that the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive will look different as well - with possibly a new coalition or even a minority government at the helm. In any event, it's all to play for.
You can help us to help you by sending a message to your own local councillor, Holyrood MSP or Westminster MP in the weeks ahead. Information about the kind of issues to raise are posted elsewhere on this web site.
If you need any further help at this stage, drop Mark Irvine an e-mail or ring Action 4 Equality on 0131 667 7956
Remember - "Many hands make light work."
Action 4 Equality's message for those councils still dragging their feet is: "If Glasgow can do it, so can you. So, let's stop shilly shallying about - the legal arguments are the same across the length and breadth of the country - they are not unique to Scotland's largest council."
Glasgow has done the only sensible thing because the writing was on the wall, if their cases went all the way through the Employment Tribunal process. In effect, Glasgow realised the game was up. So, they decided to bite the bullet and cut their losses.
Glasgow's decision has also shown up the trade unions in their true colours - not as champions of equal pay, but as organisations with too many vested interests and out of touch with their own members.
Action 4 Equality highlighted and explained the big pay differences between male and female council workers - not the trade unions.
The unions still pretend that they don't know how much how much the men are paid - yet the trade unions negotiated the higher rates of pay for the men in the first place, then deliberately kept this information hidden from the women members.
To make matters worse, the unions also encouraged their members to give up their claims for much less than they were really worth - losing many low paid workers thousands of pounds in the process.
So, it's time to crank up the pressure on other councils to follow Glasgow's lead. The make up and control of many councils will change after the local elections on May 3rd. And it's odds on that the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive will look different as well - with possibly a new coalition or even a minority government at the helm. In any event, it's all to play for.
You can help us to help you by sending a message to your own local councillor, Holyrood MSP or Westminster MP in the weeks ahead. Information about the kind of issues to raise are posted elsewhere on this web site.
If you need any further help at this stage, drop Mark Irvine an e-mail or ring Action 4 Equality on 0131 667 7956
Remember - "Many hands make light work."
