Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

I've had several emails from clerical workers in North Lanarkshire in recent days who all say the same thing - that they've had no information or encouragement from the trade unions to take up equal pay claims against the Council. So let's clarify and explain, although regular readers will know that I've been banging on about this for years. The position is that clerical workers in North Lanarkshire Council have essentially the same potential claim as everyone else. A claim arises because of the big pay differences between traditional male and female jobs and as a result of the way these jobs have been assimilated on to the Council's pay structures post job evaluation.  Action 4 Equality Scotland is already representing hundreds of school-based clerical workers in North Lanarkshire and the arguments in support of other clerical staff (i.e. non school-based) are exactly the same. So whether clerical staff work in a school or Motherwell Civic C

The Sunday Times reported the other day that if Labour wins the next year's general election, the Party will cut university tuition fees in England by at least £3,000 and as much as £5,000 a year - which will cost the public purse between £1.7 billion and £3 billion a year. Now I think this is what Ed Miliband calls standing up for the 'squeezed middle'. But what I'd like to know is how Labour can find all this money for middle income families - when party leaders show none of the same conviction when it comes to delivering equal pay for low council paid workers? Brass Neck (24 March 2014)  The business of politics requires a 'brass neck' - the ability to make claims that you know are exaggerated or even untrue, but this nonsense from the Scottish Labour leader about equality really takes the biscuit. Because the fight for equality would have taken a huge leap forward if Labour councils in Scotland had kept their promises to deliver equal pay o

I've had lots of requests from readers in North Lanarkshire for more information about what's going on at the ongoing Employment Tribunal hearing - which individual claimants are entitled to attend, of course. Now I do my best to keep people up to date via the blog site, but I'm also prepared to attend some local meetings in North Lanarkshire if readers and A4ES clients get organised, in both small or large groups, by identifying a suitable date, time and venue for a local meeting to take place. If readers in North Lanarkshire would like to take the initiative and organise a local meeting, then just send me an email with the proposed arrangements to - markirvine@compuserve.com I can make myself available in the afternoons or evenings, and I would say that we need an hour for a meeting which would take the format of a brief update - followed by a question and answer session.      

Lots of readers from North Lanarkshire have been in touch to ask if they can transfer their equal pay claims to Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES). The people I've spoken with are all really fed up with they way their trade union has been handling their claim - so they want to vote with their feet and throw their lot in with A4ES. Now I can't blame then, I have to say.  So if anyone wants to put their claim in the hands of Action 4 Equality Scotland, you can set the ball rolling by contacting A4ES by phone or email - details of how to do so are set out below.   UNFINISHED BUSINESS Now that South Lanarkshire has settled all of its outstanding equal pay claims, the focus of attention is now switching to neighbouring North Lanarkshire Council - where equal pay is still very much a live issue. Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES) is leading the way as far as the fight for equal pay in North Lanarkshire is concerned, just as we did in South Lanark