Glasgow - Meet the People
Frank McAveety may have been rebuffed by Glasgow head teachers in his efforts o 'meet the people' in the run-up to the local council elections in May 2017.
But I have an offer for the Labour leader - why not come and have a chat with some of the thousands of low paid City Council workers who are still fighting for equal pay?
I'll gladly arrange some suitable times and venues for Frank to explain why Glasgow is the last major council in Scotland not to have reached agreement on its post-job evaluation pay arrangements.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15036042.Head_teachers_urged_to_refuse_Labour_council_boss_s_pre_election_visits_to_senior_pupils/
Head teachers urged to refuse Labour council boss Frank McAveety's pre-election visits to senior pupils
Frank McAveety, leader of Glasgow City Council, has sparked a storm over plans to tour schools just over three months before May's local elections
By Gerry Braiden - The Herald
THE Labour leader of Scotland’s largest local authority has been accused of “shameless electioneering” after it emerged he plans to tour high schools ahead of local authority elections in which senior pupils can vote for the first time.
Head teachers have been urged to reject Glasgow City Council leader Frank McAveety’s request to introduce himself to pupils, including 16- and 17-year-olds entitled to vote in May’s ballot.
Unions are concerned the timing – just three months before he will seek re-election – is “inappropriate”.
Frank's 'Brass Neck' (20/01/17)
Lots of readers from Glasgow have been in touch to say they agree with me that Frank McAveety has a 'brass neck' for telling the Scottish Government how to run its affairs when the Council Leader can't put his own house in order over equal pay.
So I think I might buy a bottle of 'Brasso' as a belated Christmas present and deliver this to the Labour's leader's office as the Glasgow campaign heats up in the days ahead.
Who's up for joining a small presentation party and photo-call at the City Chambers on George Square?
Glasgow and Equal Pay
Lots of readers have been in touch in response to my post the other day which featured a some fighting talk from Frank McAveety, the Labour leader of Glasgow City Council.
Frank was effectively telling the Scottish Government to 'man-up' and provide extra funding to support big building projects in Glasgow.
Here's a typical comment from a reader (and equal pay claimant) in Frank's own local constituency of Glasgow, Shettleston:
"Frank McAveety has a real brass neck in telling the Scottish Government to get its finger out when the local Labour council can't even put its own house order over equal pay."
Now I agree with this comment 100% and I imagine many others do as well - so let me know what you think and I'll share your thoughts the blog site.
In confidence, of course.
Glasgow and Equal Pay (17/01/17)
Frank McAveety, the leader of Glasgow City Council, gave an upbeat, 'fighting talk' interview to Scotland on Sunday at the weekend in which he encouraged the Scottish Government to borrow hundreds of millions of pounds to fund major building projects.
Now the Scottish Government has had a scheme in place for some time which allows local councils such as Glasgow to access additional 'borrowing consents' to help meet their obligations on equal pay.
To my knowledge Glasgow City Council has never tried to make use of this scheme, perhaps because the Scottish Government would, in return, wish to examine Glasgow's pay arrangements and spending priorities with a fine tooth comb.
In any event what's sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander, if you ask me.
So if Councillor McAveety is prepared to call for extra borrowing to support important building projects, he should do the same over equal pay.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/frank-mcaveety-urges-snp-to-borrow-for-big-city-projects-1-4339794
Frank McAveety urges SNP to borrow for big city projects
Glasgow and Equal Pay (17/01/17)
Frank McAveety, the leader of Glasgow City Council, gave an upbeat, 'fighting talk' interview to Scotland on Sunday at the weekend in which he encouraged the Scottish Government to borrow hundreds of millions of pounds to fund major building projects.
Now the Scottish Government has had a scheme in place for some time which allows local councils such as Glasgow to access additional 'borrowing consents' to help meet their obligations on equal pay.
To my knowledge Glasgow City Council has never tried to make use of this scheme, perhaps because the Scottish Government would, in return, wish to examine Glasgow's pay arrangements and spending priorities with a fine tooth comb.
In any event what's sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander, if you ask me.
So if Councillor McAveety is prepared to call for extra borrowing to support important building projects, he should do the same over equal pay.
Frank McAveety urges SNP to borrow for big city projects
Frank McAveety faces an uphill battle to maintain control of Glasgow City Council.
Picture: Neil Hanna
By TOM PETERKIN - Scotland on Sunday
Nicola Sturgeon’s government has been urged to use Scotland’s new borrowing powers to bring forward hundreds of millions of pounds worth of building projects including the Glasgow Airport Rail Link. Frank McAveety, the Glasgow City Council leader, has called for a major investment in Scotland’s largest city in order to stimulate the economy and combat the uncertainty of Brexit and threats of a second independence referendum.
Faced with cuts to the city’s budget, McAveety has been in talks with the Scotland’s Brexit minister Michael Russell to discuss his plans and has warned that failure to get going with the projects puts at risk substantial private investment earmarked for Glasgow. In addition to the resurrected plan for the airport rail link, McAveety wants to see money invested in the Buchanan Quarter retail project around the famous galleries and Queen Street Station. Another development is the Clyde Gateway, which involves projects in Dalmarnock, Rutherglen and Shawfield, where the plan is to develop vacant sites to build factories and business units to bring jobs to the area.
Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, McAveety said: “Some government departments need to shake a leg and Transport Scotland is an organisation that needs a good shake. “We and the Scottish Government are in favour of the airport link, so bring it forward. They want the Buchanan Quarter to enhance retail to be brought forward, but we believe the delay in the Buchanan Quarter has possibly put at risk £300 million of private sector investment in Glasgow, which is money we can ill afford to lose.”
The Sunday Herald reported yesterday that the SNP has Glasgow in its sights for the May 2017 local council elections.
Now I'm not a member or active supporter of any political party, but I can see the case for breaking Labour's long grip on power in areas like Glasgow where, arguably, the party has taken the voters for granted for years.
For example, why have so many low paid council workers across Scotland had to fight the 'People's Party' for so long and so hard over equal pay?
I don't know, I have to admit, but the same is true in neighbouring areas like North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire where Labour councils fought tooth and nail to prevent people from understanding the huge pay differences between traditional male and female jobs - working against the spirit of Labour's own freedom of information (FoI) legislation in a desperate effort to keep their pay secrets under wraps.
Incredibly, in South Lanarkshire the local trade unions actually discouraged their own members from pursuing equal pay claims against the Labour-run council - the major unions all being affiliated to the Labour party, of course.
Glasgow is now the only major council in Scotland not to have reached a settlement over its post-job evaluation pay arrangements and since there is no sign of the City Council coming to its senses, perhaps it is time to open up a dialogue elsewhere.
So watch this space.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/15024419.Operation_Take_Glasgow__SNP_reveal_plan_to_boot_out_Labour_at_May_local_elections/?ref=rss
Operation Take Glasgow: SNP reveal plan to boot out Labour at May local elections
Operation Take Glasgow: SNP reveal plan to boot out Labour at May local elections
Glasgow and Equal Pay (16/01/17)
The Sunday Herald reported yesterday that the SNP has Glasgow in its sights for the May 2017 local council elections.
Now I'm not a member or active supporter of any political party, but I can see the case for breaking Labour's long grip on power in areas like Glasgow where, arguably, the party has taken the voters for granted for years.
For example, why have so many low paid council workers across Scotland had to fight the 'People's Party' for so long and so hard over equal pay?
I don't know, I have to admit, but the same is true in neighbouring areas like North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire where Labour councils fought tooth and nail to prevent people from understanding the huge pay differences between traditional male and female jobs - working against the spirit of Labour's own freedom of information (FoI) legislation in a desperate effort to keep their pay secrets under wraps.
Incredibly, in South Lanarkshire the local trade unions actually discouraged their own members from pursuing equal pay claims against the Labour-run council - the major unions all being affiliated to the Labour party, of course.
Glasgow is now the only major council in Scotland not to have reached a settlement over its post-job evaluation pay arrangements and since there is no sign of the City Council coming to its senses, perhaps it is time to open up a dialogue elsewhere.
So watch this space.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/15024419.Operation_Take_Glasgow__SNP_reveal_plan_to_boot_out_Labour_at_May_local_elections/?ref=rss
Operation Take Glasgow: SNP reveal plan to boot out Labour at May local elections
Operation Take Glasgow: SNP reveal plan to boot out Labour at May local elections
By Andrew Whitaker - The Sunday Herald
SUPPORT for independence and opposition to a hard Brexit will see the SNP take control of Glasgow council for the first time ever, one of the party's election campaign chiefs has said.
SNP campaign co-chair Susan Aitken said a victory for her party in Glasgow in May was more likely due to the majority of the city's electorate voting Yes in 2014.
Speaking to the Sunday Herald, Aitken said that she did not "think Glaswegians' support for independence has diminished" since the independence referendum was held.
SUPPORT for independence and opposition to a hard Brexit will see the SNP take control of Glasgow council for the first time ever, one of the party's election campaign chiefs has said.
SNP campaign co-chair Susan Aitken said a victory for her party in Glasgow in May was more likely due to the majority of the city's electorate voting Yes in 2014.
Speaking to the Sunday Herald, Aitken said that she did not "think Glaswegians' support for independence has diminished" since the independence referendum was held.
