Which Side Are You On?

One of our regular readers has been in touch - about the advice and support provided by the trade unions on equal pay.

Apparently, union members in some areas are being 'warned' that the original settlement offers from their employer is the only offer on the table - and could be withdrawn at any time.

And to make things even more scary - the union advice emphasises that people could lose everything - if their tribunal claims were ultimately to be unsuccessful.

Our reader thinks the union is trying to frighten people into accepting poor settlement offers: "Which side are they on", she asks. "The members or the management?" - and you can see why.

Now, strictly speaking, it is true to say that people could lose everything - if their claims fails.

But it's no more true than to say that you could be killed in some horrible accident - by stepping outside your front door today.

The point is not what might be possible theoretically - not what could happen in a hypothetical situation - but what's likely to happen in reality.

Risk is something to be assessed sensibly, not exaggerated out of all proportion - otherwise we'd all stay at home under the duvet - too worried and frightened to venture outside.

In which case no one would ever travel by plane, train or car - and the country would quickly grind to a halt.

If you have an equal pay claim - the important things to know are:

1 How much is my claim really worth?

2 What are my chances of success - if I continue with a claim to the employment tribunals?

As a general rule, if your claim is worth much more than you're being offered - and has good prospects of success - then you should stick to your guns.

If your union won't tell you how much your claim is worth - and won't say how likely it is to succeed - then there's clearly something wrong.

If you have a similar query or any useful information to pass on, drop Mark Irvine a note at: markirvine@compuserve.com