MSPs and Equal Pay
Here's an e-mail from Michael McMahon MSP - sent in response to a reader who raised an query about equal pay in South Lanarkshire Council.
Seldom have I read so much self-serving, ill-informed nonsense - and from an MSP who is apparently Scottish Labour's spokesperson on Local Government.
"Dear Colleague
I am very much aware of this issue and have taken part in debates in the Parliament and held numerous discussions with local authority trade unions in relation to this matter.
Unfortunately, it is a fact that a resolution to this issue rest with each individual council following discussions with the appropriate trade unions, although the Scottish Parliament has the responsibility for ensuring that the Scottish Government provides the necessary resources for agreements to be met.
Council’s should have settled this matter a long time ago but most failed to do so in spite of having been provided with additional resources from the previous Scottish Executive for that purpose. Councils which failed to find a solution to the problem during that time now have an even more difficult challenge in addressing the issue. The recent Scottish Government budget has seen local authority funding squeezed by the current Scottish Government and this is making the problem worse.
The huge local authority budget shortfall in the coming financial year which will result in the loss of thousands of local authorities jobs across Scotland and this will further exacerbate the problem caused by the Scottish Government’s to provide additional funding for equal pay settlements in its local authority finance settlements for the past three years. I think that it is significant and regrettable that John Swinney MSP, the Finance Secretary, has so far refused requests from trade unions and oppositions parties to facilitate discussions with local authorities aimed at progressing this matter.
I appreciate that the politics of this is not your problem and that you will only be interested in seeing low paid workers properly paid for the valuable work that they do. I believe that the buck passing has gone on far too long and can assure you that as Scottish Labour’s spokesperson on Local Government I have resolution of this issue very high on my agenda.
Kind Regards
Michael McMahon MSP"
A few points are worth mentioning.
Firstly - Michael McMahon keeps banging on about the trade unions - but the unions have never taken up any equal pay cases in South Lanarkshire - much to the anger of ordinary union members.
Secondly - Labour was the main party of government in Scotland between 1999 and 2007 - as part of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats - but they did nothing to resolve the issue of equal pay during that period.
Thirdly - the present SNP government has made additional 'borrowing consents' available to councils to help meet the back pay costs of equal pay - but South Lanarkshire Council has not made a bid to be allocated any of these funds.
Contacting your MSP is a really good way of raising these issues - just don't accept that politicians always know what they're talking about - sometimes they're very tribal and partisan.
Seldom have I read so much self-serving, ill-informed nonsense - and from an MSP who is apparently Scottish Labour's spokesperson on Local Government.
"Dear Colleague
I am very much aware of this issue and have taken part in debates in the Parliament and held numerous discussions with local authority trade unions in relation to this matter.
Unfortunately, it is a fact that a resolution to this issue rest with each individual council following discussions with the appropriate trade unions, although the Scottish Parliament has the responsibility for ensuring that the Scottish Government provides the necessary resources for agreements to be met.
Council’s should have settled this matter a long time ago but most failed to do so in spite of having been provided with additional resources from the previous Scottish Executive for that purpose. Councils which failed to find a solution to the problem during that time now have an even more difficult challenge in addressing the issue. The recent Scottish Government budget has seen local authority funding squeezed by the current Scottish Government and this is making the problem worse.
The huge local authority budget shortfall in the coming financial year which will result in the loss of thousands of local authorities jobs across Scotland and this will further exacerbate the problem caused by the Scottish Government’s to provide additional funding for equal pay settlements in its local authority finance settlements for the past three years. I think that it is significant and regrettable that John Swinney MSP, the Finance Secretary, has so far refused requests from trade unions and oppositions parties to facilitate discussions with local authorities aimed at progressing this matter.
I appreciate that the politics of this is not your problem and that you will only be interested in seeing low paid workers properly paid for the valuable work that they do. I believe that the buck passing has gone on far too long and can assure you that as Scottish Labour’s spokesperson on Local Government I have resolution of this issue very high on my agenda.
Kind Regards
Michael McMahon MSP"
A few points are worth mentioning.
Firstly - Michael McMahon keeps banging on about the trade unions - but the unions have never taken up any equal pay cases in South Lanarkshire - much to the anger of ordinary union members.
Secondly - Labour was the main party of government in Scotland between 1999 and 2007 - as part of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats - but they did nothing to resolve the issue of equal pay during that period.
Thirdly - the present SNP government has made additional 'borrowing consents' available to councils to help meet the back pay costs of equal pay - but South Lanarkshire Council has not made a bid to be allocated any of these funds.
Contacting your MSP is a really good way of raising these issues - just don't accept that politicians always know what they're talking about - sometimes they're very tribal and partisan.
