Union Priorities

A regular reader has sent me details of a trade union campaign - in defence of public sector pensions.

Now the thought that struck me on reading the material was - 'that what unions should be all about' - raising their voices on behalf of ordinary members. 

Even though I disagree strongly with various aspects of the trade union stance - for example their support for 'final salary' pension schemes which favour the better off groups of workers - while doing nothing for the lowest paid.

The union leaflet explains what action has been taken to lobby and influence the Scottish Government - and urges individual members to do the same by contacting their local MSPs.

And you know what? 

By the time I had finished reading everything I was left with the rather obvious question:

'Why didn't the trade unions put the same effort into a big Scotland wide campaign for Equal Pay - over the past ten years?'

Because equal pay was (and still is) a much more significant issue in financial terms than pension changes for the lowest paid council workers - the majority of whom are women of course.

Many of the comparator male jobs in Scottish councils were earning 50% more - half as much again - as  women workers on the same grade or in comparable jobs.

So you would have thought that equal pay in Scotland demanded at least the same level of effort and resources - as the unions are throwing at their public sector pensions campaign.

But sadly not and that just goes to show how terribly conservative the trade unions are in lots of ways - good at fighting to defend the status quo for sure. 

Yet foot-draggingly slow at standing up to vested interests - within their own ranks.