HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
If you want to do so, the answer is very simple - go and see your local councillor, MSP or even your Westminster MP - get a few friends or co-workers together and tell them exactly what you think!
Equal pay has already come back to haunt the careers of a few well-known politicians: Donald Anderson (former leader of Edinburgh Council), Christine May (former leader of Fife Council) and Norman Murray (former leader of East Lothian Council). All three stood as candidates in the May elections to the Scottish Parliament - and all three were unsuccessful.
The Action 4 Equality web site has plenty of information about the sort of issues you might wish to raise, for example:
- The employers refusal to disclose the pay rates of male workers - even though this should be freely available to the public
- The behaviour of the trade unions - in striking deals that continue to discriminate against women workers
In West Lothian, North and South Lanarkshire - to name a few areas - clients are beginning to get themselves organised and are taking the campaign to the local council.
In small and large groups, people are calling on the local politicians to take a stand - demanding that their local councillors stop dragging their feet - particularly when the largest council of all (Glasgow) has been able to reach a settlement.
All local politicians - councillors, MSP's and MP's - hold regular surgeries or meetings where members of the public can go along and voice their concerns. Details of when and where these local surgeries are held are freely available - here are a number of helpful web sites:
http://www.cosla.gov.uk/
COSLA is the umbrella organisation for Scotland's councils - and their web site has a variety of useful links to individual local councils - there is now a multi-member ward system in place, so you are not restricted to one single councillor or political party
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/
The Scottish Parliament web site has a list of all MSP's (constituency and list members) which provides their telephone and e-mail contact details - if your constituency MSP is not very helpful, you can always take things up with your regional list MSP
http://www.parliament.uk/
The Westminster Parliament provides a useful list and contact details for Scotland's MPs - there is less choice of representation, but some MP's have played a helpful role in raising issues with their local councils - for example in Perth & Kinross.
If you can't get along to see people in person, why not:
- send an e-mail
- discuss things over the phone
- ask them to come and visit you - now that would be a decent service!
If you need any specific help or support, drop Mark Irvine an e-mail (markirvine@compuserve.com) or ring 0131 667 7956
Remember - the political mix after the May elections has changed in many councils and, in some, control has changed hands altogether.
In South Lanarkshire, for example, Labour is still running the council, but only because of the unlikeliest of coalition deals with the Tories - the SNP and Lib Dems are both breathing down their necks!
So, there is every chance you will get a fair hearing - just don't be fobbed off at the first attempt.
