North Ayrshire Council - Another Fine Mess
North Ayrshire is the latest council to shoot itself in the foot, as yet another workforce ballot on equal pay delivers the 'wrong result'.
Council employees in North Ayrshire have decisively rejected new pay and grading structures - proposed by the management and supported by the trade unions.
Sound familiar?
Having spent years contemplating their navels and getting nowhere fast, council officials (and the unions) belatedly sprang into action. But, of course, only after Action 4 Equality and Stefan Cross arrived on the scene - and let the cat out the bag by telling the women how much they were being underpaid compared to the men.
The laugh is that these same (highly paid) council officials and unions leaders - who had kept the women in the dark all these years - now claimed they would put things right.
However, things didn't quite go to plan. Instead of a vote of confidence in the new pay structures - the workforce spoke loudly and clearly - and effectively told the council and the trade unions to take a hike!
So, what will happen now? Most likely the council will try to impose the new arrangements anyway - even though employees have voted to throw their proposals out - in a democratic, secret ballot which everyone agreed was an essential part of the negotiating process.
Having danced to the management's tune all the way - the trade unions have shown themselves to be part of the problem - and they will probably be about as much use a chocolate teapot in the months ahead.
But all is not lost - not by a long chalk.
What North Ayrshire employees need to know is that a contract of employment can only be varied in one of two ways:
1 By individual agreement with employees
2 By a collective agreement - via the trade unions
The council cannot unilaterally impose a new contract - without leaving itself open to other legal challenges and penalties in the courts.
The council knew fine well they would never get the support of individual employees, so they went down the route of a collective agreement - hoping the unions' would do their dirty work and scare their own members into supporting management's proposals.
Instead, things have blown up in their face - like an exploding cigar!
Seems that ordinary union members have fought back and refused to be intimidated. Now there is all to play for - and the council now has no option but to go back to the drawing board.
Council employees in North Ayrshire have decisively rejected new pay and grading structures - proposed by the management and supported by the trade unions.
Sound familiar?
Having spent years contemplating their navels and getting nowhere fast, council officials (and the unions) belatedly sprang into action. But, of course, only after Action 4 Equality and Stefan Cross arrived on the scene - and let the cat out the bag by telling the women how much they were being underpaid compared to the men.
The laugh is that these same (highly paid) council officials and unions leaders - who had kept the women in the dark all these years - now claimed they would put things right.
However, things didn't quite go to plan. Instead of a vote of confidence in the new pay structures - the workforce spoke loudly and clearly - and effectively told the council and the trade unions to take a hike!
So, what will happen now? Most likely the council will try to impose the new arrangements anyway - even though employees have voted to throw their proposals out - in a democratic, secret ballot which everyone agreed was an essential part of the negotiating process.
Having danced to the management's tune all the way - the trade unions have shown themselves to be part of the problem - and they will probably be about as much use a chocolate teapot in the months ahead.
But all is not lost - not by a long chalk.
What North Ayrshire employees need to know is that a contract of employment can only be varied in one of two ways:
1 By individual agreement with employees
2 By a collective agreement - via the trade unions
The council cannot unilaterally impose a new contract - without leaving itself open to other legal challenges and penalties in the courts.
The council knew fine well they would never get the support of individual employees, so they went down the route of a collective agreement - hoping the unions' would do their dirty work and scare their own members into supporting management's proposals.
Instead, things have blown up in their face - like an exploding cigar!
Seems that ordinary union members have fought back and refused to be intimidated. Now there is all to play for - and the council now has no option but to go back to the drawing board.
