Feedback from Clackmannanshire
Feedback from last Friday's 'signing events' in Clackmannanshire - suggest the whole thing was a bit of a farce.
A number of Action 4 Equality Scotland clients went along - and so did Paul Clark and Lisa Byers from Fox Cross Solicitors - to ensure that people had access to proper legal advice.
The 'signing' meetings had been arranged without any warning or prior discussion with Action 4 Equality Scotland - yet the trade unions seemed to have been involved, according to local union members.
The advice from Fox Cross Solicitors was not to accept the new offers of settlement - because they were shockingly bad - worth perhaps as little as 25% of the true value of people's claims.
So, no one took up the management invitation to sign their rights away - no one from Action 4 Equality Scotland at least.
An official from the council gave a presentation on the new offers - but the reason for making such low offers to people is still not clear - other than the council wishing to deny people what they are really due.
The only other solicitors present appeared to be the 'independent' solicitor - hand picked and invited along by council management.
Local union reps were present - but their role was unclear.
Was it to support what the council managers were doing - or to discourage members from signing their rights away on the cheap?
If the latter why did the unions allow the meetings to go ahead in this way - when they could have made a huge fuss and urged their members to boycott the event?
An important hearing on the Clackmannanshire cases is taking place later in October - further details will follow.
A number of Action 4 Equality Scotland clients went along - and so did Paul Clark and Lisa Byers from Fox Cross Solicitors - to ensure that people had access to proper legal advice.
The 'signing' meetings had been arranged without any warning or prior discussion with Action 4 Equality Scotland - yet the trade unions seemed to have been involved, according to local union members.
The advice from Fox Cross Solicitors was not to accept the new offers of settlement - because they were shockingly bad - worth perhaps as little as 25% of the true value of people's claims.
So, no one took up the management invitation to sign their rights away - no one from Action 4 Equality Scotland at least.
An official from the council gave a presentation on the new offers - but the reason for making such low offers to people is still not clear - other than the council wishing to deny people what they are really due.
The only other solicitors present appeared to be the 'independent' solicitor - hand picked and invited along by council management.
Local union reps were present - but their role was unclear.
Was it to support what the council managers were doing - or to discourage members from signing their rights away on the cheap?
If the latter why did the unions allow the meetings to go ahead in this way - when they could have made a huge fuss and urged their members to boycott the event?
An important hearing on the Clackmannanshire cases is taking place later in October - further details will follow.
