West Lothian - Hall of Shame
No sooner had the antics of the unions in Falkirk Council been exposed, than the floodgates opened up with similar sorry tales from our clients in West Lothian.
Yet again, the home care service was in the firing line and yet again the trade unions - in the shape of Unison, GMB and TGWU (now called Unite) - helped the employers to frighten and bully their women union members into submission.
The women were told a new shift system was necessary - in future they would receive an 'all inclusive' rate of pay and lose enhanced payments for working shifts and weekends. What they were not told is that only the women carers were being singled out for this special treatment - the male bonus earners were left completely unscathed.
The unions reps - Mike Kelly of Union and Peter Carr-Pollock of the GMB - who are still there today told their members they had no choice - either they accepted the council's proposals or the women carers would lose their jobs!
What the unions should have been doing - of course - was seeking proper advice on behalf of their members and taking legal action - if necessary, for discriminating against their women employees.
The mere threat of legal action would have stopped the council in its tracks. But instead the unions looked the other way and did nothing - which was the green light the council was waiting for to do its worst.
West Lothian Council has also hit the headlines because the local Livingston MP - Jim Devine (a former Unison official) asked a tame question in the House of Commons - inviting his colleague and future Prime Minister - Gordon Brown - to condemn West Lothian Council for imposing new 'single status' contracts of employment on the workforce.
Gordon Brown accepted the invitation and castigated the SNP led council (since May 2007) for putting people's jobs at risk, allegedly. Good for him - because the council should not be treating its employees in such a shabby way.
But Gordon Brown should go a great deal further - he should also condemn the way Labour councils have behaved - North Lanarkshire, for example, has imposed new contracts over the heads of its workforce and the trade unions - and that council has been under Labour control for years. Yet, not a cheap out of the Labour Party, the Iron Chancellor or the local Labour MPs!
The fact is that the Labour Party has dominated council politics for many years - and has to accept much of the responsibility for the 'dog's dinner' Scotland's councils have made of equal pay. Playing party politics is not the answer, Gordon - and before you start lambasting the SNP, you should put your own house in order first!
If you want to share your thoughts with some of the local and national politicians involved in the West Lothian row, here are their e-mail addresses:
Jim Devine - MP
devinej@parliament.uk
Angela Constance - MSP
Angela.Constance.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Peter Johnston - West Lothian Council Leader
peter.johnston@westlothian.gov.uk
Gordon Brown - Chancellor and future PM
browng@parliament.uk
Yet again, the home care service was in the firing line and yet again the trade unions - in the shape of Unison, GMB and TGWU (now called Unite) - helped the employers to frighten and bully their women union members into submission.
The women were told a new shift system was necessary - in future they would receive an 'all inclusive' rate of pay and lose enhanced payments for working shifts and weekends. What they were not told is that only the women carers were being singled out for this special treatment - the male bonus earners were left completely unscathed.
The unions reps - Mike Kelly of Union and Peter Carr-Pollock of the GMB - who are still there today told their members they had no choice - either they accepted the council's proposals or the women carers would lose their jobs!
What the unions should have been doing - of course - was seeking proper advice on behalf of their members and taking legal action - if necessary, for discriminating against their women employees.
The mere threat of legal action would have stopped the council in its tracks. But instead the unions looked the other way and did nothing - which was the green light the council was waiting for to do its worst.
West Lothian Council has also hit the headlines because the local Livingston MP - Jim Devine (a former Unison official) asked a tame question in the House of Commons - inviting his colleague and future Prime Minister - Gordon Brown - to condemn West Lothian Council for imposing new 'single status' contracts of employment on the workforce.
Gordon Brown accepted the invitation and castigated the SNP led council (since May 2007) for putting people's jobs at risk, allegedly. Good for him - because the council should not be treating its employees in such a shabby way.
But Gordon Brown should go a great deal further - he should also condemn the way Labour councils have behaved - North Lanarkshire, for example, has imposed new contracts over the heads of its workforce and the trade unions - and that council has been under Labour control for years. Yet, not a cheap out of the Labour Party, the Iron Chancellor or the local Labour MPs!
The fact is that the Labour Party has dominated council politics for many years - and has to accept much of the responsibility for the 'dog's dinner' Scotland's councils have made of equal pay. Playing party politics is not the answer, Gordon - and before you start lambasting the SNP, you should put your own house in order first!
If you want to share your thoughts with some of the local and national politicians involved in the West Lothian row, here are their e-mail addresses:
Jim Devine - MP
devinej@parliament.uk
Angela Constance - MSP
Angela.Constance.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Peter Johnston - West Lothian Council Leader
peter.johnston@westlothian.gov.uk
Gordon Brown - Chancellor and future PM
browng@parliament.uk
