What's the Big Rush?

Lots of readers from North Lanarkshire have been in touch in recent days - because the council has now issued settlement offers - to some of the many council workers who have outstanding equal pay claims.

But only to a relatively small number of men in predominantly male jobs - such as school janitors - a much greater number of women workers have been left deliberately out in the cold.

The strange thing is that although these offers must have been approved by the relevant trade union - the trade unions appear to have nothing to say - by way of giving proper advice to their members.

Apparently union members are being told that they have only seven days to accept the offer - or they are on their own - which sounds very off-hand and unreasonable.

Why should people be forced into making such an important decision - in such a short space of time - when this whole business has been dragging on for years? 

Is North Lanarkshire Council laying down - or are the trade unions trying to put undue pressure on their own members?

A similar thing happened in Glasgow years ago when the Labour council - having first denied that many people had valid equal pay claims - then tried to bounce the workforce into accepting poor settlement offers.

The maximum offers at that time were just over £9,000 - much less than the true value of people's claims - but the unions looked the other way and didn't create a fuss.

Quite cynically Glasgow City Council encouraged its own lowest paid workers to accept what was on the table - otherwise 'you might end up with nothing at all' - was the council's  unsubtle and alarming message.

Of course that was nonsense - and the people who pursued their claims with Action 4 Equality Scotland - were not taken advantage of or exploited in this way.

As far as North Lanarkshire is concerned - I can't advise anyone who is not an Action 4 Equality Scotland client - but if I were in your shoes, this is what I would do:

1 I would refuse point blank to be pushed around
2 I would reject any artificial deadline for acceptance of an offer
3 Seven days - or anything like it - to say Yes or No is a complete disgrace
4 I would demand a proper explanation as to how the settlement offer is calculated 
5 I would demand this information in writing from my trade union
6 I would also insist on a meeting with my union - if any issues require clarification 
7 I would want to know whether my union has agreed to dilute the value of my claim - without discussing this with me and other union members.

In short I would insist that my trade union does its job properly - by looking after my interests first and foremost.

The fact that Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council is up for election in a few days time - should be completely irrelevant.