Access to Justice
Action 4 Equality Scotland has played an crucial role in widening access to justice - for thousands of low paid workers in Scotland's public services - the majority of whom are women.
Action 4 Equality Scotland is now pursuing over 12,000 equal pay claims in the Employment Tribunals - but before we arrived on the scene in August 2005 - equal pay was a dead issue in Scotland.
The landmark 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement - hailed as historic at the time by employers and trade unions alike - was stuck firmly in the doldrums, going nowhere fast.
Now equal pay is back at the top of the agenda - the employers have been forced to respond by the action we have taken in the courts.
The trade unions have been shamed into taking up claims on behalf of some of their members at least - though many more have been let down - including many non-bonus earning male workers and much of the workforce in South Lanarkshire Council, for example.
In the space of five years things have changed out of sight over equal pay - previously access to justice in the employment tribunals was controlled largely by the unions - who spent much of their time and effort keeping members in the dark.
And modern-day trade unions are increasingly big, bureaucratic organisations - remote from their members.
Ordinary union members have little, if any, control over the big issues - or management of their case - if they are lucky enough to have them taken up in the first place.
For several years after the 1999 Single Status Agreement - the unions were not remotely interested in widening access to justice - when it came to equal pay in the employment tribunals.
The unions are all in favour of change they can control - change that ordinary union members can believe in - is another thing altogether.
Action 4 Equality Scotland is now pursuing over 12,000 equal pay claims in the Employment Tribunals - but before we arrived on the scene in August 2005 - equal pay was a dead issue in Scotland.
The landmark 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement - hailed as historic at the time by employers and trade unions alike - was stuck firmly in the doldrums, going nowhere fast.
Now equal pay is back at the top of the agenda - the employers have been forced to respond by the action we have taken in the courts.
The trade unions have been shamed into taking up claims on behalf of some of their members at least - though many more have been let down - including many non-bonus earning male workers and much of the workforce in South Lanarkshire Council, for example.
In the space of five years things have changed out of sight over equal pay - previously access to justice in the employment tribunals was controlled largely by the unions - who spent much of their time and effort keeping members in the dark.
And modern-day trade unions are increasingly big, bureaucratic organisations - remote from their members.
Ordinary union members have little, if any, control over the big issues - or management of their case - if they are lucky enough to have them taken up in the first place.
For several years after the 1999 Single Status Agreement - the unions were not remotely interested in widening access to justice - when it came to equal pay in the employment tribunals.
The unions are all in favour of change they can control - change that ordinary union members can believe in - is another thing altogether.
