**Stop Press**

The GMB union caused some confusion the other day by issuing the following statement to its members in Glasgow.

Now the GMB is quite simply wrong.

Because Glasgow City Council (GCC) has definitely registered a request for 'leave to appeal' the recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision which ruled that new pay arrangements, introduced by GCC in 2007, failed to create a level playing field between male and female jobs.

Action 4 Equality Scotland has registered a 'cross appeal' to protect the interests of 5,500 A4ES clients in Glasgow via HBJ Gateley solicitors, who are now working closely with A4ES  to bring these cases to a successful conclusion.     

 

Death Wish 2017 (29/04/17)

I've had lots of comments about the political leadership in Glasgow City Council which seems to have developed a 'death wish' in relation to next year's local council elections which are to be held in May 2017.

Time to get Labour out

New leadership needed in Glasgow people why drag this out

If the government can't step in on councils, then how can they impose a pay rise cap on public sector employees? 

Totally utter disgrace. pay the people who you've underpaid for all these years. Vote the LABOUR COUNCILLORS OUT

Ive emailed my msp he won't get my vote I hope Glasgow now get these map's out

Labour definitely won't be getting my vote and I've let my colleagues know about this also

All the more reason to turn the heat up on Labour over the coming days and once the outcome of the Scottish Parliament elections is known next week - remember polling day is Thursday 5th May.

Glasgow Update (28/04/16)

My sources inside the City Chambers tell me that Glasgow has decided to appeal the recent decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT).

In which case all bets are now 'off' as the political leadership of Labour-run Glasgow seems to have opted for 'war-war' in the run up to next year's local council elections which are due in May 2017.

So be it, as they say, and the task now is to bring about a change of leadership within the City Council, one which is prepared to face  top to its obligations over equal pay.

 

Glasgow Update (26/04/16)

I said in a recent post that the fight for equal pay in not a 'spectator sport' by which I meant there is plenty that individual claimants can do to help me and the A4ES legal team persuade the City Council to bring this saga to an end.

Now the A4ES campaign in Glasgow was treading water for a long time while the legal fight took precedence in the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT).

And it's possible that the legal route could take centre stage again, if the City Council decides to drag things out by appealing the EAT decision.

Because that would mean a further round of hearings in the Court of Session (Scotland's highest civil court) and, potentially, the UK Supreme Court. 

Sadly, this is the same route chosen by Labour-run South Lanarkshire Council which tried to block my freedom of information (FoI) request about the huge pay differences between male and female council jobs.

But just look where that got South Lanarkshire in the end with the reputation of the Council trashed along with the trade unions who actively discouraged members from pursuing equal pay claims against the local Labour council.

So I would say that if Glasgow City Council decides not to 'sue for peace' and instead opts to fight through the courts, then the challenge it to get rid of the present Labour administration and replace it with one that is prepared to face up to its obligations on equal pay.

Lots of readers in Glasgow are already putting their shoulder to the wheel by raising these issues with their local MPs, councillors and candidates in the Scottish Parliament elections which are being held on Thursday 5th May 2016.

So keep up the good work because Glasgow's politicians must get the message that this issue will not go away and will still be staring them in the face in 12 months time when all Scottish councils face election in May 2017. 

Glasgow Update (21/03/16)

Great news for the 5,500 Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES) clients still fighting for equal pay with Glasgow City Council.

The long running case which went to the Employment Appeal Tribunal has finally released its decision (from a hearing which concluded in May 2015) and the result is a huge victory for the claimants.

In essence the tribunal agreed that Glasgow City Council failed to create a level playing field between its traditional male and female jobs before introducing new pay arrangements in 2007.

As regular readers know, traditional male jobs received significant bonus payments on top their basic pay which were highly discriminatory because these lucrative bonus schemes were not available to female dominated jobs.

So 11 years or 12 years ago, a Glasgow Home Care worker was earning around only £6.00 an hour, whereas a male refuse worker or gardener (on the same or even a lower grade) was being paid significantly more, around £9.00 a hour because of these 'male only' bonus schemes.

Now these big bonuses were negotiated between council management and the trade unions (GMB, Unison and Unite), but the size of the pay gap between traditional male and female jobs was kept hidden from the wider workforce - until Action 4 Equality Scotland came along in 2005 and let the cat out of the bag..

The claimants case is that Glasgow City Council had a clear duty to tackle this pay discrimination and create a level playing field between male and female jobs before introducing new pay arrangements in 2007 - and this argument has been upheld by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT).

In plain language the pay of women's jobs should have increased to the same level as the higher (bonus related) pay of men's jobs, otherwise the Council continued to treat its male workers much more favourably than their female colleagues. 

Which is exactly what happened in Glasgow because the City Council protected the higher (bonus related) earnings of its traditional male jobs going forward (from 2007) and this 'more favourable treatment' forms the basis of another equal pay claim for the 5,500 A4ES clients. 

The $64,000 dollar question is whether Glasgow City Council will accept the game is now up and negotiate a settlement to all of the outstanding claims.

Because if not, then the fight for equal pay in Glasgow is bound to be be a big issue in the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2016 and will also run all the way to the next round of Scottish council elections due in May 2017.

So I will be making contact with the leadership of Glasgow City Council in the days ahead to discover whether it is to be a case of 'jaw jaw' or 'war war'.