NONE SO BLIND, AS WILL NOT SEE!
A male employee of North Ayrshire council has been in touch to say he is unhappy at our criticism of the local management and trade unions - because, in his considered opinion, they are not really favouring the men over the women - when it comes to equal pay.
In support of this argument, he explains that his current hourly rate as a refuse worker (others are better paid) is £8.40 - but that this will drop to £7.60 under the new single status pay structure - though his current earnings will be protected for at least another 3 years - by which time of course the normal annual 'cost of living' pay increases (of 3% or so per year) will take him back up to where he started.
But what our male refuse worker fails to recognise - of course - is that he has been on this much higher rate of pay for years and years. Whereas many women's jobs that have been on the same or even a higher grade than his - have been earning £2 to £3 per hour less for all that time - which adds up to thousands of pounds over the piece!
So, the fact is that our friend is simply corroborating what we knew already - that many women's jobs in North Ayrshire (and elsewhere) have been undervalued and underpaid for many years - and it's not the unions or management who are changing things - it's Action 4 Equality and Stefan Cross.
And for the record - equal pay was never supposed to be about reducing the pay of men - for any reason. The employers have simply chosen to go down that route to save money, given their failure (along with the unions) to implement the 'single status' pay agreement back in 1999.
Equal pay was always about levelling up - and rewarding properly the skills and responsibilities of women council workers - who've been taking second best for years, while the trade unions and management have conveniently looked the other way.
No offence to our refuse worker colleague from North Ayrshire - he does an important job - but if he has been worth £8.40 per hour for all these years - how much more was a Home Carer, or Classroom Assistant or School Cook worth?
That's what this is all about - and as the employers and unions both know - it's been as plain as the nose on your face for all these years!
In support of this argument, he explains that his current hourly rate as a refuse worker (others are better paid) is £8.40 - but that this will drop to £7.60 under the new single status pay structure - though his current earnings will be protected for at least another 3 years - by which time of course the normal annual 'cost of living' pay increases (of 3% or so per year) will take him back up to where he started.
But what our male refuse worker fails to recognise - of course - is that he has been on this much higher rate of pay for years and years. Whereas many women's jobs that have been on the same or even a higher grade than his - have been earning £2 to £3 per hour less for all that time - which adds up to thousands of pounds over the piece!
So, the fact is that our friend is simply corroborating what we knew already - that many women's jobs in North Ayrshire (and elsewhere) have been undervalued and underpaid for many years - and it's not the unions or management who are changing things - it's Action 4 Equality and Stefan Cross.
And for the record - equal pay was never supposed to be about reducing the pay of men - for any reason. The employers have simply chosen to go down that route to save money, given their failure (along with the unions) to implement the 'single status' pay agreement back in 1999.
Equal pay was always about levelling up - and rewarding properly the skills and responsibilities of women council workers - who've been taking second best for years, while the trade unions and management have conveniently looked the other way.
No offence to our refuse worker colleague from North Ayrshire - he does an important job - but if he has been worth £8.40 per hour for all these years - how much more was a Home Carer, or Classroom Assistant or School Cook worth?
That's what this is all about - and as the employers and unions both know - it's been as plain as the nose on your face for all these years!
