Wishaw Press

Here's a post from the blog site archive featuring some local news coverage in the Wishaw Press - North Lanarkshire Council must have thought the whole business of equal pay had been put to bed, but recent developments in the Glasgow Employment Tribunal have proved them wrong again. 

Wishaw Press (5 March 2010)

Here's a article on North Lanarkshire and Equal Pay - that appears in this week's local paper - the Wishaw Press.

"Financially stricken North Lanarkshire Council is facing the nightmare scenario of being forced to stump up a whopping £15million in equal pay claims to hundreds of disgruntled employees – according to Action 4 Equality Scotland, an equal pay campaign. 

The organisation has accused the local authority of “dragging its heels” over settling the claims – some of which stretch back many years – from 1808 dissatisfied workers. 

Already, a significant number of Scottish councils – including Glasgow and Edinburgh – have settled their outstanding claims and Action 4 Equality Scotland has played an instrumental role in negotiating these resolutions.

However, the equal pay group claim no such settlement has been agreed by NLC and because of this, an employment tribunal will be held in April to hear the North Lanarkshire cases and a top QC has been instructed by the campaigners to represent the local claimants. 

Mark Irvine from Action 4 Equality Scotland told the Wishaw Press: “North Lanarkshire Council has had its head stuck in the sand for years. The hard-working staff who have suffered are vital groups such as home carers and classroom assistants which other councils, notably Glasgow, settled with long ago.
“Workers feel especially strongly about the council’s delaying tactics, which include raising procedural points and unnecessary appeals, only for these issues to be abandoned at a later date without ever being tested in an employment tribunal.” 

He concluded: “Let's hope the council comes to its senses soon, otherwise it will be wasting even more public money at a hearing in April, where council managers will have to justify what they now accept were discriminatory pay arrangements.” 

The hard-up authority has already been forced to make a commitment to save £15million this year through a series of penny-pinching budget cuts and aims to claw back another £60million by 2014.


MSP Alex Neil has slammed the council over the authority’s ongoing failure to resolve the claims.

The SNP Central Scotland representative told the Wishaw Press: “North Lanarkshire Council is one of the last local authorities in Scotland to sort out its equal pay claims, it is time it took its responsibility seriously.

“I have written to the Council Leader Councillor Jim McCabe and Chief Executive Gavin Whitefield to make this point clear and support Action 4 Equality Scotland." 

“I have a number of constituents who have been pursuing claims with North Lanarkshire Council for years, and they have been dragging their feet for too long. The situation is unacceptable and amounts to an abuse of the council workforce.” 

North Lanarkshire Council’s website highlights the authority’s commitment to parity through its Equality and Diversity in Employment Policy.

The aims of this policy are to promote equality of employment opportunities; to eliminate unfair, unlawful or inappropriate discrimination in employment in the council and to provide positive action measures where appropriate and permissible by legislation. 

John O’Hagan, Head of Corporate Services at NLC said: “It is factually incorrect to describe the council as one of the last authorities to sort out equal pay claims. The council has already engaged in extensive settlements with key groups of staff and will continue to be guided by the emerging case law as it develops in assessing its liabilities for various categories of claim. 

“To meet all such claims on their face value would not be acting in the best interests of the council tax payers of North Lanarkshire. A balance has to be struck between the legitimacy of certain claims and preserving the limited public funds available to meet them.” 

The council declined to comment on the claim that the possible payout figure could cost as much as £15million. 

The following statement has been issued to disgruntled workers who have contacted Motherwell and Wishaw MP Frank Roy for advice: “Mr Roy has asked me to acknowledge your email on his behalf, and to advise you that he has contacted NLC in regard to your equal wage claim. He has been informed that those employees who did not accept the earlier offers have had their case referred to the Employment Tribunal System where the claimants will be represented by solicitors.

“As such he would not be able to be involved as this is clearly between your trade union and the council. “Mr Roy has also been informed by the council that the progress of the claims through the Employment System is not in their direct control, but he understands that some hearings are due to take place with all claimants' legal representatives being in attendance.”

THE Wishaw Press has been contacted by two equal pay claimants who have expressed their disgust over the way they feel they’ve been treated by the local authority.

The workers – who do not wish to be named, have between them almost 40 years of unstinting service – first learned they may be getting unfairly paid after watching a television programme about the Action 4 Equality campaign.

That was years ago and they’re still waiting on a settlement. 

Worker A said: “I think it’s terrible that people have been getting paid more than us for doing an easier job. I’m disgusted that the council could treat its workforce in such a way. Even with my considerable length of service they will only look to backdate my loss of earnings over a five year period. 

When I weigh up how much money I’m due it runs into thousands. If I was behind with my council tax I’m sure they wouldn’t be long in letting me know."

Employee B told the Wishaw Press: “When we first complained about the inequalities of our pay we were offered what I consider to be a derisory sum, probably just 10 per cent of what’s actually outstanding. Who’s going to accept that?

“The claimants have been disappointed by the lack of support we’ve received from elected members and the union hasn’t helped much either.

“What we want now is for the matter to be settled at next month’s tribunal. This will hopefully get us what we are due and we can achieve some form of closure and get on with our jobs.”