North Lanarkshire Update

4 Sum of Discount

My reading of this figure is that the GMB has been discussing with North Lanarkshire Council a 45% discount (saving to the Council) for settling their members equal pay claims.

Now quite why the GMB didn't reject this proposal out of hand is beyond me and I'm amazed that the GMB had the gall to put such an insulting figure to its members.

A 'discount' might make sense if there are still arguable issues in dispute or if the employer is seeking a discount for early settlement, but North Lanarkshire has been dragging its feet on these cases for years.

So why would people give up nearly half their claim - this makes no sense whatsoever.  

I am also told by a reliable source inside the Council that the discount figure being suggested for GMB members is much higher that the one used for all the other claimants from Action 4 Equality Scotland, Fox and Partners Solicitors, Unison and Unite.

So if I were a GMB member I would ask for:

1. confirmation of the size of the discount, as a percentage of the total offer 
2. an explanation as to why the GMB and/or the Council believes this to be a reasonable offer
3. confirmation of whether the percentage discount is much higher than that used by other claimants in the equal pay dispute with North Lanarkshire Council

All in all this is even more evidence of a completely lousy offer which is 'diddling' the GMB members in North Lanarkshire twice over.

First of all the GMB stupidly restricts their claims to only 3 years instead of 8 - then the  Council adds insult to injury by suggesting that GMB members give up almost half of their claims by way of an impossible-to-justify discount.

I'm tempted to say that 'you couldn't make it up', but clearly someone has and it's pretty obvious that between them the GMB and North Lanarkshire Council have made a real hash of things.

North Lanarkshire Update (17/07/15)

3 Sum of Interest

Now this is a peculiar figure because the papers I have seen do not explain what period this sum of interest actually covers.

Nor do the papers explain the percentage rate of interest to compensate people for the fact that they should have been paid this money years ago. 

I am also told by a reliable source within North Lanarkshire Council that the figure used in respect of GMB claimants is much less than the one used for all the other claimants from Action 4 Equality Scotland, Fox and Partners Solicitors, Unison and Unite.

So if I were a GMB member I would ask for:

1. confirmation of the period over which interest is being paid
2. confirmation of the percentage rate of interest used to calculate the Sum of Interest
3. confirmation of whether the percentage rate of interest is lower than that used by other claimants in the equal pay dispute with North Lanarkshire Council

I suspect that the answers to these questions will show that the relevant figures are based on only a three-year claim when, for example, the claims of Action 4 Equality Scotland clients covered the full eight-year period between January 2007 and March 2015.

In other words it looks as if GMB in North Lanarkshire members are being offered only a small fraction of the 'true' value of their claims.

NLC Update (13/07/15)

2 Sum of Balance after HMRC

Nowhere in the papers I have seen is this figure explained and nor is there any reference to the fact that not everyone pays tax and/or National Insurance contributions?

Another issue which is not referred to or explained is that of pension entitlement which is important because any employee who is near retirement age or who may be retiring on the grounds of ill-health, could benefit hugely from any settlement being linked to their pension contributions. 

Now the Council may not like this because employer's pension contributions are normally twice the amount of and employee's pension contributions and there are tax implications as well.

So if I were a GMB member I would ask for:

1. a detailed explanation as to how this figure is calculated
2. the figure to be recalculated to take pension contributions into account
3. confirmation that any 'final' figure is personalised and is not making general assumptions about tax and National Insurance  

Otherwise union members run the risk of taking a potentially life-changing decisions on the basis of inadequate information.

NLC Update (12/07/15)

1 Sum of Principle Amount

Now this appears to be the gross value of the settlement offer from North Lanarkshire Council, but nowhere does the GMB explain how this figure is calculated.

So if I were a GMB member I would ask for:

1. a detailed breakdown of the figure
2. an explanation of how the figure is calculated
3. confirmation of the period covered by the settlement offer
4. confirmation of the male comparators used to determine the difference in pay between male and female council jobs 

Because only then will GMB members be in a position to evaluate this offer, or any future offers, properly although to be honest the union and its advisers ought to be doing this for local GMB members - by giving them clear advice on whether to accept or reject the proposed settlement.

As things stand GMB members seem to be getting offered a settlement which is worth only a fraction, perhaps a small fraction, of the 'true' value of their equal pay claims against North Lanarkshire Council.