Politicians and Equal Pay
North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and West Lothian are good examples - areas where the council has behaved very badly, has got people's backs up and spurred them into action.
For example, a group of clients in North Ayrshire met recently with their local MP Katy Clark - a politician who lists equal opportunities as one of her special interests. North Ayrshire Council has just imposed a new pay and grading structure on its employees - as did West Lothian Council a few weeks previously.
Our clients were able to point out that the local Labour MP, Jim Devine, was quick to denounce the council - and he invited our new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to do the same - which he duly did.
Perhaps Jim Devine and Gordon Brown's enthusiasm can be explained by the fact that West Lothian is an SNP controlled council - because in North Ayrshire, Katy Clark is not quite so keen to lay in to the local Labour controlled council.
But these kind of double standards just get the politicians a bad name - if they are prepared to turn a blind eye when it's 'one of their own', then they'll come unstuck with the voters - sooner or later - and that's what people ought to tell them to their face.
Another topical issue is the provision of information on earnings - between male and female groups - typically the male groups have earned big bonus payments which the employers and the trade unions have kept hidden from the women workers.
Many councils are still refusing to publicise this information - but some take a more enlightened view - such as Argyll & Bute Council which has released a very report that highlights the different earnings of traditional male groups.
The report shows that street sweepers, refuse workers, gravediggers, gardeners road workers (to name a few) all received substantial bonus payments denied to the women - which paid the men an extra £2 to £3 an hour more than the women workers - who were on equivalent grades. The following examples are all based on 37 hours:
- Street Sweeper: Bonus = £3,300 per year
- Gardener: Bonus = £4,056 per year
- Gravedigger : Bonus = £4194 per year
- Chargehand Gardener: Bonus = £4,500 per year
- Driver: Bonus = £4,753 per year
- Road Worker: Bonus = £6,600 per year
Now these bonuses were worth an extra 30% - 50% on top of the men's basic pay - and bonus payments were restricted to traditionally male jobs - the women's jobs never got a look in even though the women worked just as hard (or harder) and their jobs often carried a great deal more responsibility.
So, these are the facts the employers can't run away from - they promised to end this pay discrimination in 1999, but did nothing about it until Action 4 Equality and Stefan Cross came along.
If you would like a copy of the Argyll & Bute report, we can send you one by e-mail on request - the situation varies from council to council, but the pay gaps between the male and female jobs are broadly similar.
So make a point of letting your local councillor, MSP and MP know what you think. Make an appointment to go and see them - put the facts on the table and ask the politicians where they stand.
If you need any help, have a look at the following web sites where you will find useful contacts: CoSLA - for local councils and councillors ( www.cosla.gov.uk), the Scottish Parliament - for Holyrood MSPs (www.scottish.parliament.uk) and the Westminster Parliament - for local MPs (www.parliament.uk)
Alternatively contact Mark Irvine on 0131 667 7956 or at: markirvine@compuserve.com
