Glasgow Equal Pay News

A number of readers from Glasgow have been in touch (existing clients of A4ES) after receiving more unsolicited correspondence via the GMB union. 

What people want to know is: "Do I have to respond to these letters or contact the GMB, now that my equal pay claim is being handled by Action 4 Equality Scotland?"

Well the short answer is that No - you don't need to do anything, you can safely ignore any such letters because the A4ES office will sort this out on your behalf. 

Action 4 Equality Scotland may write to you separately, but there is no need for individuals to take any action.

Now quite why the GMB is behaving in this way I can't explain, but the union does behave very strangely at times.

For example, the GMB made a terrible dog's dinner of its members' equal pay claims over in North Lanarkshire Council by restricting their claims to only 3 years.

History now seems to be repeating itself in Glasgow where the union has done the same thing and did not support Action 4 Equality Scotland and other claimant organisations in the recent Court of Session challenge to Glasgow's WPBR and job evaluation (JE) scheme.

I've heard the GMB is now telling members who haven't already pursued an equal pay claim that the union will 'see them alright' in future negotiations with Glasgow City Council.

Which sound like complete nonsense if you ask me, and I'll bet the union hasn't given such a guarantee in wriitng. 

Because the only way council employees in Glasgow can protect their interests properly is to register an equal pay claim now with the Employment Tribunals, if they have not already done so.