South Lanarkshire

What do South Lanarkshire Council and the Care Quality Commission have in common?

Well I would say that both organisations have 'redacted' or censored information which they found embarrassing and inconvenient - which is a starge way for a public body to behave.

Especially ones that claim to support openness and transparency - and Freedom of Information (FoI).  

Here's a previous post from the blog archive which explains the background to my fight with South Lanarkshire over a 'redacted' response to one of my FoI requests. 

Cat's Out The Bag (17 April 2013)

Here's a post from the blog site archive welcoming the release of information which South Lanarkshire Council initially withheld, censored and tried its very best to keep secret - for a long time.

Now this is not the detailed information I have requested separately about the pay scales of traditional male jobs - but it does demonstrate the mindset of the council at the very highest level as it began to take major decisions on how to implement the 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement in Scotland.

The Secret's Out (1 September 2011)

Wonders will never cease!

When I opened my e-mails last night South Lanarkshire Council - finally provided the 'censored' document from its Corporate Management Team (CMT).

Which the Scottish Information Commissioner had previously ordered to be released to me - of course - by no later than 2 September 2011.

So I received the document - one whole day early.

The Corporate Management Team document is dated 7 October 1999 - and the censored or 'redacted' section reads as follows:

"The Council may choose to implement single status without embracing the potential for change or making significant alterations to the workforce and the delivery of service. However, this will merely result in the following adjustments to manual employee's (sic) conditions, while incurring costs:-

•Job evaluation increasing the pay bill by up to 10% (higher evaluated manual jobs, protection for APT&C)

•Costs of lower production by a reduction in the working week for manual workers, Residential staff and Nursery staff to 37 hours

•Retrospective challenges under the equal pay act due to bonus schemes which are indefensible

•Conditions of service anomalies remaining un-addressed; continuous divisions in the workforce

•Potential employer/employee relations problems; lower morale for existing APT&C employees for whom there will be no advantage

•A reduction in provision of Council services with no gain to the customer or the Council; loss of jobs, higher charges"

Now the crucial admission - and the big issue that South Lanarkshire Council wanted to keep hidden - is that back in 1999 senior managers knew fine well that council bonus schemes were 'indefensible' - under equal pay legislation.

And that's why South Lanarkshire has been fighting tooth and nail to prevent people - including its own employees - from learning the truth.

The truth is that bonuses were routinely paid - at 50% on top of basic pay - but only to traditional male jobs such as council refuse workers and gardeners.

Lower paid women workers within the council were kept in the dark - by management and the trade unions - even though bonuses continued to be paid until October 2002.

In 2005 Action 4 Equality Scotland came along and let the cat out of the bag - by explaining the hidden pay gap - between traditional male and female jobs.

South Lanarkshire Council should be ashamed of itself - in my view - its behaviour has been a disgrace.

The truth has been dragged out of South Lanarkshire after a long drawn-out, battle - but if the council had its way everyone would still be in the dark - to this very day.

And just in case anyone has forgotten - this is a Labour-led council - and one which claims to support freedom of information.

So spread the word and let people know - that the council's credibility is falling apart at the seams.