Breaking News!
Important information has come my way about the long awaited Equal Pay settlement process with Glasgow City Council.
Tune in again tomorrow (Monday) because there will be a need for the equal pay claimants in Glasgow to make their voices heard with the powers that be.
Glasgow MSPs and MPs (27/10/17)
I Tweeted my recent post on 'Glasgow, Job Evaluation and Equal Pay' to all MSPs and MPs with constituencies in the Glasgow area, along with the following message:
"If Job Evaluation was a fair and objective in Glasgow City Council, how come all the low paid women's jobs landed on a Snake?"
So far, not a single MSP or MP has responded to my Tweet or asked for further information - nor has anyone Liked or Retweeted my post to their followers.
Now this could mean that my Tweet and blog post were just so perfect that there's nothing more to say, but it could also mean that Glasgow's MSPs and MPs are strangely disengaged from the fight for equal pay in their own back yard.
I'm surprised, I have to say, because while it seems pretty clear to me that the SNP MSPs and MPs all support the position being adopted by the SNP-led council we are not out of the woods yet - not by a long chalk.
For example, Glasgow's position is that the City Council is 'seeking leave to appeal' only and that its real intention is to negotiate a settlement of all the outstanding equal pay claims.
In other words, that a 'full blown' appeal to the UK Supreme Court is not going to happen, perhaps for political reasons as well as the practical difficulties of overturning the unanimous judgment of the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court.
But if the City Council's decision to 'seek leave to appeal' is based on the advice of senior council officials and external lawyers, what is going to happen when Glasgow reaches the point of deciding whether to take its case to the UK Supreme Court - with or without 'leave' from Scotland's Court of Session?
Now that's something I would expect Glasgow's MSPs and MPs to have an opinion on, especially as they have strong opinions on just about everything else.
So I'm going to publish on the blog site some of what Glasgow's politicians have to say on their Twitter feed because the next couple of months are going to be crucial.
If you ask me, this is an issue on which the thousands of equal pay claimants across the city deserve the vocal support of their MSPs and MPs.
If you ask me, this is an issue on which the thousands of equal pay claimants across the city deserve the vocal support of their MSPs and MPs.
Glasgow MSPs and MPs (28/10/17)
I wrote yesterday about the importance of the next couple of months in the fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council because we ought to know two things well before Christmas:
- Is a proper settlement process finally underway and is there a clear timetable and road map in place for resolving all the outstanding equal pay claims?
- Has Glasgow City Council abandoned the idea of pursuing an appeal to the UK Supreme Court?
Now if you ask me, Glasgow MSPs and MPs should be getting right behind their local constituents on these issues which means speaking up sharing their views.
For example in the local Glasgow press, on social media and their own Facebook pages or Twitter accounts.
No one is asking or expecting MSPs and MPs to attack the City Council, not least because its leaders say they are full committed to a negotiated settlement.
But there are clearly forces at work who would love to continue the long-running legal battle in the courts and to the UK Supreme Court, if they had their way.
So it's potentially crucial that Glasgow's MSPs and MPs speak up and explain where they stand - and here's a handy list of their contact email addresses.
If I hear from any MSPs and MPs directly, I'll share what they have to say on the blog site.
Glasgow's MSPs and MPs (08/09/17)
If you ask me, Glasgow MSPs and MPs have not been very vocal or visible in standing up for the rights of their local constituents in the fight for equal pay over the past 10 years, but let's hope things are about to change for the better.
So here is a list of the MSPs and MPs whose constituencies lie within the boundaries of Glasgow City Council - engaging with local politicians and asking them where they stand will help to bring the fight for equal pay to a speedy and successful conclusion.
Here's a handy link names all of the various Glasgow constituencies for easy reference: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17759
I contacted all of these MSPs and MPs yesterday, so they are all up to speed on the latest developments and since the local elections in May 2017 Labour has, of course, lost political control of Glasgow City Council to the SNP.
The MSPs are all the same, but there are two changes in the MP list with David Linden replacing Natalie McGarry in Glasgow East and Paul Sweeney replacing Anne McLaughlin in Glasgow North East.
Contact details for Glasgow councillors can be found via the following link to the City Council's web site: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17565
Glasgow MSPs (Scottish Parliament)
Glasgow MPs (Westminster Parliament)
David.Linden.mp@parliament.uk
Paul.Sweeney.mp@parliament.uk
Carol.Monaghan.mp@parliament.uk
