Dark Arts of Equal Pay
An enterprising reader has been doing some investigation of her own - on the 'dark arts' used by council employers when it comes to equal pay.
Not only do council employers spend huge sums of public money in defending perfectly valid claims - they are quite cynical about buying people's claims off 'on the cheap'.
Here's a document the reader discovered from South Tyneside Council - but councils in Scotland have done exactly the same thing - and often with the support of the trade unions.
"Mrs. X. has been employed by South Tyneside Council since 1997 and works as a both a Cleaner and School Kitchen Assistant.
Whilst her combined weekly hours of work (based upon contractual hours) totals 33 hours per week, a separate calculation would be undertaken for each job that she holds and the combined compensatory payment would not exceed a maximum stated payment of £8,000.
In addition to the compensatory payment, Mrs. X would be potentially eligible to receive an interim payment based upon her combined weekly hours and length of employment.
The maximum cost to the Council for any individual employee, based upon the two types of payment, would therefore be £9,200.
For the Council, this compares favourably to a potential payment from the Employment Tribunal of £30,000 compensation and the ability to submit further claims if the authority then fails to implement job evaluation."
So the employer set out to deny this low-paid woman worker - more than two thirds of what she was due - no doubt after many years of loyal service to the council.
Not only do council employers spend huge sums of public money in defending perfectly valid claims - they are quite cynical about buying people's claims off 'on the cheap'.
Here's a document the reader discovered from South Tyneside Council - but councils in Scotland have done exactly the same thing - and often with the support of the trade unions.
"Mrs. X. has been employed by South Tyneside Council since 1997 and works as a both a Cleaner and School Kitchen Assistant.
Whilst her combined weekly hours of work (based upon contractual hours) totals 33 hours per week, a separate calculation would be undertaken for each job that she holds and the combined compensatory payment would not exceed a maximum stated payment of £8,000.
In addition to the compensatory payment, Mrs. X would be potentially eligible to receive an interim payment based upon her combined weekly hours and length of employment.
The maximum cost to the Council for any individual employee, based upon the two types of payment, would therefore be £9,200.
For the Council, this compares favourably to a potential payment from the Employment Tribunal of £30,000 compensation and the ability to submit further claims if the authority then fails to implement job evaluation."
So the employer set out to deny this low-paid woman worker - more than two thirds of what she was due - no doubt after many years of loyal service to the council.
