Questions and Answers

Lots of regular readers have been in touch to say that the local Unison branch in South Lanarkshire is holding a series of meetings starting next week - to explain to members what's happening on equal pay.

Now some would say that this is much too little and much too late - myself included.

Not least because Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES) was holding such meetings several years ago - as far back as 2005/06 in fact.

As you would expect the A4ES meetings highlighted the huge pay gap between male and female jobs council jobs - the all too obvious problems with South Lanarkshire's 'in-house' job evaluation scheme - and people's ability to pursue equal pay claims against the Council. 

So here are some questions that local union members might like to ask at these meetings - especially as the Employment Tribunals have decided that the Council's 'in-house' job evaluation scheme does not comply with the 1970 Equal Pay Act:

1 Will the trade unions now withdraw their support for the Council's local 'in-house' job evaluation scheme (JES)?

2 Will the trade unions demand the introduction of a tried and tested JE scheme - such as the Gauge scheme which has been specifically developed for use by councils in Scotland and which has national trade union support? 

3 Will the trade unions demand that the Council now produces a rank order of jobs to show the before and after effect of the 'in-house' JES - on traditional male and female jobs? 

4 Will the unions now demand that the Council publishes the pay information relating to male and female jobs - so that the workforce can see for itself how all of these jobs are paid?

5 Do the trade unions accept that this information is essential for people to understand how the Council's pay arrangements operate - and what the pay differences are between male and female jobs?

6 Will the trade unions call upon the Council to abandon its ridiculous appeal to the UK Supreme Court regarding such pay information - having previously been instructed to disclose the details by the Scottish Information Commissioner and Scotland's highest civil court, the Court of Session? 

7 Will Unison now publish the details of the independent review which made criticisms of the Council's local 'in-house' job evaluation scheme? 

Now that would seem to be to be enough to be getting on with - a starter for 10 if you like - but if readers have any other suggestions to make, feel free to drop me a note - and I'll share these on the blog site.