Glasgow - Court of Session

I'm pleased to report that readers of the blog site really do grasp the significance of Glasgow City Council playing 'footsie' over the prospect of an appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

This is the same party that wanted Scottish independence now they want to go to the English courts they should make up there mind what they want if they do they will never get independence now if this is the road they are going down

G

The Council Leader, Susan Aitken, insists that Glasgow will not be appealing the unanimous judgement from the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, which concluded that GCC's WPBR pay scheme is 'unfit for purpose'.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon a Glasgow MSP, nailed her colours to the mast when she pledged recently:

"It may take us a bit of time to fix Labour’s mess, but I make this promise today.

"Fix it we will.

"The injustice suffered by low paid women in this city will be put right.

"Equal pay for equal work, denied for too long, will be delivered by the SNP."

Yet the SNP-led council keeps flirting with the possibility of asking the UK Supreme Court in London to overturn a sound, reasoned and unanimous judgment from the highest civil court in Scotland.  

Let's hope that Glasgow takes this veiled threat off the table soon and gets down to real business in the New Year.

  

Glasgow - Readers' Comments (14/12/17)

More readers' comments about the prospect of the City Council proceeding with an appeal to try and overturn the unanimous decision of Scotland's highest civil court, the Court of Session, that Glasgow's WPBR pay scheme is 'unfit for purpose'

Susan Aitken get you finger out your ass and get us paid out we have waited long enough now No more empty promises!

F

Anyone can make fabulous speeches and talk a good game but when their actions do not match up with what they say then I do not believe in the person. Appealing is an action and that is the real intention as it is the only real thing happening.

T

If an SNP led council appeal to the UK court then the SNP will be rediculed and can hardly continue to seek independence. If they can not accept a Scottish court's decision then they proved they still need London.

T

I'm sure this issue is going to return with a vengeance in the New Year when the City Council will have to make its position clear.

  

Glasgow - Readers' Comments (13/12/17)

A reader from Glasgow commented on yesterday's post about the big decision facing the City Council over a potential appeal to the UK Supreme Court. 


Let me get this.The SNP said they would have this dealt with quickly, now we have the SNP led Glasgow City Council seeking leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. 

This is the independence screaming Scottish government now using the UK laws to get out of paying their employees the money they are due because the Scottish supreme courts laws aren't good enough.

Double standards me thinks. 

The magic roundabout is about to start.

ALL ABOARD!

L

Now the reader makes a fair point if you ask me, because it would look extremely strange politically if the SNP-led City Council were to ask a UK court to overturn the   unanimous decision of Scotland's highest civil court.

Especially when it doesn't take a legal genius to understand that Glasgow's discredited WPBR pay scheme set out to favour traditional male jobs at the expense of lower paid female dominated jobs done by carers, cooks, catering staff, cleaners, clerical workers, classroom assistants and so on. 

And it would look even more strange if Glasgow's eight MSPs (all SNP of course) were not standing up and speaking out loudly and clearly in support of their local constituents.  

  

Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (12/12/17)

Equal pay settlement discussions with Glasgow City Council seem to be picking up speed after a slow and unpromising start.  

See the "Breaking News' post below and the update from Stefan Cross QC. 

Now it's early days yet and no agreement has been reached on any of the big issues, but the 'mood music' appears to have changed which is good news if you ask me, so long as the claimants start to see some real results in the New Year.

In my view, the biggest issue of all is the GCC's application to appeal the Court of Session's WPBR decision to the UK Supreme Court because this has the potential to delay things and kick the settlement process into the long grass.

Now I can't see this happening because the Leader of the Council, Susan Aitken, has repeatedly said that the SNP-led administration has no intention of pursuing the case to the UK Supreme Court - even though GCC is asking the Court of Session for 'leave to appeal'.

A major reason for GCC not pursuing an appeal to UK Supreme Court in London is that the WPBR is now completely discredited, after being roundly roundly criticised by three senior judges in the Court of Session who unanimously decided that Glasgow's pay arrangements  are 'unfit for purpose'.   

Another important reason is that the SNP would surely pay a very heavy price in terms of its political reputation, if the party were to run off down to London to try and overturn a decision from Scotland's highest civil court - when all eight of Glasgow's Holyrood MSPs are SNP supporters including the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

How would that make the SNP and the Scottish Government look in the eyes of Glasgow council workers and voters, given the justice of the claimants' case and its powerful backing from the Court of Session?

A third big reason for Glasgow to ditch the UK Supreme Court is the cost to the City Council because the ultimate bill will increase hugely, if the council 'bets the house' again and loses a further appeal - on the advice of officials and advisers who have been defending the indefensible over equal pay for the past 10 years.

So it's all to play for as they say and next week sees another important diary date with Glasgow 'leave to appeal' petition being heard by another panel of judges in the Court of Session.