No Mean City
So, not surprisingly perhaps, Glasgow was the first council in Scotland to come up with a strategy for dealing with its employees equal pay claims.
At first, the council said there was no problem - but that position quickly changed as Action 4 Equality Scotland set about explaining the huge pay gap that existed - between traditional male and female jobs.
All hell broke loose - to coin a phrase - as claims flooded in from angry women workers - who had been kept in the dark for years about their rights to equal pay.
Soon afterwards, Glasgow came up with a plan to 'buy out' their employees claims - with one-off cash offers of settlement - in the run up to Christmas 2005.
A series of 'acceptance' meetings was hastily organised across the city - their purpose being to encourage low paid staff to accept the council's offer of settlement - and to sign a Compromise Agreement waiving their legal rights. However, the basis for calculating these offers was never explained.
The council also arranged for 'independent' lawyers to be on hand to give advice to council staff - although Glasgow City Council selected and paid these lawyers, handsomely as it turns out.
In response to a recent Freedom of Information request - Glasgow has now confirmed what this 'independent' legal advice cost the council taxpayer:
A WHOPPING GREAT £347,477.76p - to be precise.
Funny how councils can always find the money for some things - but not others.
