Sign the Petition

A regular reader from North Lanarkshire has been in touch to say that they have started a petition - calling on the council to stop dragging its feet over equal pay.

What a good idea!

Now that's the kind of thing you'd expect the trade unions to do - if they were actually being serious about causing a big fuss and standing up for their own members.

Because it's exactly the right time to be putting the council leadership on the spot - with the local council elections only weeks away.

So I take my hat off to the people concerned - it's bound to make the politicians sit up and take notice.

I imagine the petition will be aimed at the Labour leader of North Lanarkshire Council - Councillor Jim McCabe.

As far as I know, Jim has been in charge at NLC since the last round of council elections - which were in 2007 - and perhaps prior to that as well.

Last time I looked Jim was also the leader of the Labour Group at COSLA - so he's been at the centre of all the equal pay arguments which have taken place in recent years - both locally in North Lanarkshire and Scotland wide.

I hope Councillor McCabe is listening - he certainly should be paying close attention to what local people have to say.

Because they have right on their side and hane done from Day One.

The trade unions meantime will be skulking around somewhere - looking suitably embarrassed I hope - while trying to explain away their reluctance to 'rock the boat'.

But the problem is obvious - the trade unions are too close to the council - they are joined at the hip politically speaking.

Which means that when push comes to shove - they are often more worried about what's in the best interests of the Labour party - rather than what's in the best interests of their own members.