NLC Update (31/05/15)
As I've explained before, none of the other parties to the equal pay dispute with North Lanarkshire Council went down this path and for reasons known only to itself the GMB stands alone.
My understanding is that the other parties involved (Action 4 Equality Scotland, Fox and Partners Solicitors, Unite and Unison) asked the GMB whether the union wanted to change its position on restricting its members claims to only 3 years, as did the Employment Tribunal.
But the union refused to do so and as a result the GMB and their representatives left the joint negotiations leaving A4ES, FAP and others to reach a settlement. This left the GMB and its members out in the cold, and it was a deliberate and considered decision by the GMB not the Council.
Nor, as far as I know, were union members consulted or informed about the union's decision or the reasons for adopting such an peculiar and potentially damaging stance which was out of step with everyone else, of course.
The other parties (A4ES, FAP, Unite and Unison) continued their negotiations with North Lanarkshire until a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was finally agreed and ratified by the Council on 19 March 2015.
As the GMB is now realising, the thing about 'burning you boats' is that once you've burned them you can't just jump back in and try to set sail again.
Yet for the past 10 weeks the GMB has been mounting a desperate rearguard action, trying to blame others for the mess the union now finds itself in although one thing's for sure - the members didn't cause this situation.
As far as I can see the members who pay their union dues week in week out are now being given the run around as the GMB says it wants to achieve the same outcome as everyone else.
To be honest, I don't see how this can happen because the union is effectively asking for the Council to pay for the GMB's mistakes, to get the union out of a big hole that the GMB has dug for itself.
And any use of public money for such a purpose (i.e.bailing out the GMB) would almost certainly get the Council's officials and elected members into serious trouble themselves.
The bottom line is that the GMB has never sought to challenge the Council's JES and has left this to Action 4 Equality Scotland and others.
The union has had every opportunity to wise up and change its tune, but didn't listen until it was too late.
So if you ask me, the solution is for the union to step up to the plate and agree that no GMB member will lose out financially over the union's handling of this affair.
