Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

A frequently asked question (FAQ) that has become topical again in relation to equal pay is: "I haven't actually registered an Equal Pay claim, but I've been told that in the event of a settlement with my employer that I've nothing to worry about - because I'll get the very same settlement as everyone else." "Is this correct?" NO! - definitely, absolutely not - and there's not been a Council employer in Scotland which has made 'voluntary' settlement payments to employees who do not have a claim registered with the Employment Tribunals.   Now I know that the trade unions have given this 'duff' advice to their members at times - but this advice is completely wrong - and lots of people have lost out as a result So, if you're in any doubt register a claim - because that's the only way to protect your interests. If you need any further details, drop me an email to: markirvine@compuserve.com   

In the slow march to war in Iraq in 2003, relations between the UK, France and America were at an all time low - as the UK Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair made a strategic alliance with a Republican President, George Bush, while a more natural political ally in the shape of the  Conservative French President, Jacques Chirac, flatly refused to support the case for military action against Saddam Hussein. As the world contemplates how to respond to the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in Syria, the political scene is very different to that in 2003 - America has a Democrat as President (Barack Obama), the UK a Conservative Prime Minister (David Cameron) and  France has elected a Socialist President (Francois Hollande). All three are agreed that the Syrian Government has used chemical weapons against its own people - and all three are agreed that a carefully targeted military response would play an important role in helping to protect civilians from further such deadl

Here's an interesting article by Dan Hodges - a long time Labour  supporter - who has resigned his membership of the party over Ed Miliband's 'flip-flopping' behaviour on Syria. I remember when I left the Labour Party back in 1999 - sure I had lots of disagreements on policy issues such as the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), but the straw that broke the camel's back for me also came down to the duplicity of people in leadership positions who - when the chips were down - behaved with a lack of integrity. So I can understand where Dan Hodges is coming from - and I suspect he's not alone. Miliband was governed by narrow political interests – not those of Syrian children. I have left the Labour Party By Dan Hodges Whatever your view of last night’s defeat for the Government over Syria – for what it’s worth mine is it was a catastrophe for the cause of progressive interventionism – there is no avoiding the fact that it was a triumph for parli

I enjoyed this thoughtful and intelligent opinion piece by Philip Collins in the Times yesterday - which made me think about how history is made and how times change. Sometimes events that seem earth shattering are forgotten within days, but at others they gain a peculiar momentum - and become capable of changing the world.  They don’t make speeches like that any more By  Philip Collins Unlike much of today’s rhetoric, Martin Luther King’s words made a difference — and their music is unmatched Two score years and ten after Martin Luther King dreamt out loud, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, that every valley be exalted and that there could be no rest until justice rolled down like water, why does this speech still matter and why does nobody speak like this any longer? The answer to both questions is the same and it is visible in the man who on Wednesday paid tribute to King: Barack Obama. The peculiar genesis of the speech which we know now as I Have a Dream

I attended a really enjoyable meeting in Lanark last night organised by the Green Party in Lanarkshire - to discuss Equal Pay and Freedom of Information (FOI). I didn't really know what to expect, but as it turned out there were over 30 people present on the night - which was an impressive turnout by any standards. I think it's fair to say that no one had a good word to say about South Lanarkshire Council - or the local trade unions for that matter   - although this all contributed to a lively debate about recent developments at the UK Supreme Court and the Council's approach for serious talks about a possible settlement of all the outstanding A4ES equal pay claims. I was struck by how angry and betrayed people feel by a Council which is supposed to look after their interests, how they were kept in the dark for so long - until the UK Supreme Court finally lifted the veil of secrecy which has kept the Council's pay arrangements hidden from public scrutiny all the

Here's a hard-hitting editorial from yesterday's Herald newspaper that needs no further comment from me - let's hope that South Lanarkshire Council is listening. Shocking that equal pay claims still being fought Herald View Thursday 29 August 2013 Public bodies have certain obligations which, while potentially costly, are non-negotiable. Providing similar pay to men and women doing jobs requiring similar levels of skill, is one of those obligations. It is not hard to imagine the dismay felt by council finance directors when faced with potentially expensive equal pay claims from underpaid women, but, to use an American term: too bad. Paying women less than men for similarly skilled work is an iniquitous hangover from an age when women who worked were regarded as second class employees who were invading the male sphere, and reflects an ongoing tendency for jobs in which women prevail - caring and administrative roles, for instance - to be un

Here are some more 'words of wisdom' from the Stewards Briefing issued by the Unison South Lanarkshire Branch - eight years ago on 25 August 2013. "Who are these "No Win No Fee" lawyers?"   "Action 4 Equality are led by a lawyer called Stefan Cross who has made a name for himself, and lots of money, cherry picking cases in the North of England. The "No win no fee" lawyers identify where employers have been slow to address equal pay. They pick a few easy cases where they can demonstrate a woman doing similar work valued work is paid less than a man. If they win at tribunal they cream off up to 30% of the settlement for themselves. Workers going with them are obliged to sign a contract that gives them the right to drop the case whenever they choose, usually when they deem that they can't make enough profit."  Now there are so many things wrong with this ridiculous statement it's difficult to choose where to start,

I put this post up on the blog site back in June 2013 - before the FOI appeal involving South Lanarkshire Council reached the UK Supreme Court in London on 8 July 2013. The subsequent decision of the UK Supreme Court has forced South Lanarkshire to release certain pay information which - in my view - demonstrates that the Council was operating a 'two tier' workforce in which traditional male jobs were more favourably treated than their women colleagues. I think this matter should now be reported to the Accounts Commission for Scotland - the public spending 'watchdog' for all Scottish Councils. So watch this space.  Mickey Mouse and Equal Pay  (19 June 2013) Here's what I said about South Lanarkshire Council's 'Mickey Mouse' job evaluation scheme - back on 16 January 2008. Four years later these words have been vindicated - with the Employment Tribunal in Glasgow deciding that the South Lanarkshire Council scheme does not c