Glasgow Cries Foul
Glasgow City Council has cried foul over the investigation instigated by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) – see post dated 26 March 2009.
The council has accused the equalities watchdog of ‘showing bias’ because the Commission in launching its investigation said that it had significant concerns about the council’s Workforce Pay and Benefits Review (WPBR).
The Commission has since apologised for using the words – ‘significant concerns’ and has since made it clear there is no intention to pre-judge the outcome of the investigation into Glasgow’s pay and grading structures.
Now – to any sane person - this would seem to be a row about nothing.
Because how can an investigation get underway - unless the ‘watchdog’ has concerns about the very pay and related issues that the Commission has been set up to police - on behalf of the general public?
For once, the GMB is on the right side of the argument – a spokesperson said that the council was getting involved in technical legal arguments to delay the inevitable – rather than dealing with the real issues.
And for the record the real issue is that certain features of the WPBR appear to discriminate against women workers – the vast majority of whom are, of course, women.
For example, full-time workers get extra points and extra pay simply for being full-time – whereas part-time workers get nothing, not a penny – not even on a pro rata basis.
So, let the investigation get underway and do it work.
The Commission has apologised to avoid being diverted into an artificial row – but the real issues are of enormous importance to many thousands of women workers across Glasgow.
The council has accused the equalities watchdog of ‘showing bias’ because the Commission in launching its investigation said that it had significant concerns about the council’s Workforce Pay and Benefits Review (WPBR).
The Commission has since apologised for using the words – ‘significant concerns’ and has since made it clear there is no intention to pre-judge the outcome of the investigation into Glasgow’s pay and grading structures.
Now – to any sane person - this would seem to be a row about nothing.
Because how can an investigation get underway - unless the ‘watchdog’ has concerns about the very pay and related issues that the Commission has been set up to police - on behalf of the general public?
For once, the GMB is on the right side of the argument – a spokesperson said that the council was getting involved in technical legal arguments to delay the inevitable – rather than dealing with the real issues.
And for the record the real issue is that certain features of the WPBR appear to discriminate against women workers – the vast majority of whom are, of course, women.
For example, full-time workers get extra points and extra pay simply for being full-time – whereas part-time workers get nothing, not a penny – not even on a pro rata basis.
So, let the investigation get underway and do it work.
The Commission has apologised to avoid being diverted into an artificial row – but the real issues are of enormous importance to many thousands of women workers across Glasgow.
