Equal Pay


A regular reader has been in touch because the trade unions in her local council have suddenly developed an interest - albeit a belated one - in equal pay.

Now I suspect this is all just a cynical recruitment exercise - aimed at exploiting all the recent publicity - in an effort to try and persude people to join or re-join the union.

Yes, the very same people whom the trade unions have ignored - and let down for years - when it comes to equal pay.

So I would advise a cautious approach.

People should ask an intelligent question or two - before agreeing to anything - and here's an e-mail that might help you decide - in how to proceed.

Hi I*****

Equal Pay

To my mind the unions are trying to hide their embarrassment and their failure to advise members properly in the first place - by saying that they will take an equal pay up on your behalf now - more that 10 years after they should have been giving people this advice.

Because any claim registered now will be worth much less than it was than if you had registered a claim back in 2005/06 - because an equal pay claim can only go back in time for five years maximum.

So instead of having an equal pay claim which goes all the way back until the year 2000 - a claim registered now will go back to 2007 at best - and you will have lost the intervening 7 years because of the union's poor advice or lack of advice altogether.

The employer will also have brought in changes to the way employees are now paid - under a new job evaluation scheme - which is may well dilute the value of any equal pay claim registered now, so late in the day.

I wonder if the union will offer to make good your financial loss?

I would certainly ask them to do so and I would also ask the union:

1 What value they place on your potential claim in 2012

2 How they justify letting you and other members down - for all these years

I imagine the drive to sign people up is just a cynical recruitment exercise - a case of bolting the stable door long after the equal pay horse has bolted.

But keep me posted and let me know how what happens.

Best wishes


Mark

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