Joined at the Hip
Here's an exchange of e-mails with a reader from North Lanarkshire - about the equal pay shenanigans between the council and the trade unions.
The council has had its head in the sand over equal pay for a very long time - and the pay gap between traditional male and female jobs was exposed by Action 4 Equality Scotland - not the trade unions of course.
So I'm perfectly happy to let our track record speak for itself.
Dear Mark
Can you help as I am very confused?
I have a claim for equal pay with my union but we are all getting mixed messages over here in North Lanarkshire.
The rumour mill is working overtime.
I am a great fan of the Action 4 Equality Scotland blog site and read that we might all be about to be sold short by our trade unions or left out in the cold altogether.
But when you ask a union rep they deny this and insist that they are fighting hard for their members.
Yous sincerely
B
Hi B
North Lanarkshire and Equal Pay
Yes, I can understand the problem but we have been here before with the trade unions who have lined up alongside the employer - at every turn.
Why not ask your trade union for a copy of the recent council report on equal pay and an explanation as to why former APT&C workers like yourself - are being left out of this grubby little deal?
If the unions were really fighting hard for their members - they'd be making a huge fuss about these issues in the run up to the council elections in May.
But they're not because they're joined at the hip with the council leadership, politically speaking - they're doing their best not to upset anyone and keeping members in the dark as they've done before.
Which is why the great majority of equal pay claims in North Lanarkshire are being fought by Action 4 Equality Scotland.
People have voted with their feet when it comes to the trade unions - and you can do so as well, if you want.
Kind regards
Mark
