Glasgow, Glaciers and Equal Pay

Lots of readers got in touch yesterday to raise their voices in response to the latest show of disrespect from senior officials in Glasgow City Council.

Now there's a lot of anger out there which is absolutely understandable because the City Council is moving at the speed of a glacier as far as settlement negotiations are concerned, yet back in 2006/07 senior officials put a completely new WPBR pay scheme in place in less than a year - including an untried and untested job evaluation scheme (JES).

No one believes that it takes six weeks to arrange an urgent meeting with senior council officials or months to provide crucial pay information required for future settlement talks - because people's heads in Glasgow don't button up the back.

Tomorrow is another big day in the fight for equal pay in Glasgow and if this results in yet another missed deadline and even more lame excuses, the key thing is to channel people's anger and frustration in ways that mean there are consequences for those who are treating the council workforce with such enormous disrespect.

Lively protests, demonstrations and even some form of industrial action could all be on the cards if things continue like this, but you do have to ask where are Glasgow's politicians while this farce is going on - what do Glasgow's local MSPs and MPs have to say?

I wonder why GCC don't practice what they preach !!??

I’m trying to think of something that rhymes with “something smells like shite” but I can’t.

J

Yet again a failed deadline met how long will this go on

A

Disgusting behaviour from senior staff so disrespectful to all involved

J

Didn't expect any different to be honest

Not surprised either total disgrace

Can comment now as I am retired fucking shocking

There is more chance of Donal Trump tweeting about this.

Disgusting!

Oh what a surprise ..

Steps back in amazement...NOT

Name and shame these numptys

No surprise really

Shocking!

Surprise surprise

Absolutely disgusting

I honestly don't think this will be resolved any time soon despite what the snp said prior to taking over the running of glasgow city council in may. In fact I'm willing to bet it still won't be resolved before the next local authority election in 2022 and sadly a vast number of council employees will pass away before being settled up.

E

Action 4 Equality Scotland Hi E - if we had taken the same pessimistic view as you, A4ES would have given up the fight 10 years ago. As things stand, we're not out of the woods yet, but we do have the highest civil court in Scotland, the Court of Session, saying that we were right all along!

Mark

Not being pessimistic mark I'm being realistic. I've worked in local government long enough to know that what politicians say and what they actually do are two entirely different things.

E

Action 4 Equality Scotland Well I say you are and the key point is that if A4ES had listened to your pessimistic view, the fight for equal pay in Glasgow would never have carried on for 10 years or won a landmark victory in the Court of Session. So if you don't have anything more helpful to say, do me a favour and stay off this timeline. I can't be arsed with Jeremiahs.

Mark

No surprise there then..yet another let down for the hardest working people in the council. Yes people in lesser posts do lose their jobs for poor service. It appears to be different rules for different levels. Utter disbelief at the incompetence and how this is being handled but then again not surprised. Keep up the hard work.

B

Surprise surprise. The council couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery. I would love to get the salary of these officals and still sit on my arse doing nothing. I loved my job as a psa but by the end i was totally scunnered by the lack of support from the powers that be. They seemed to rhink that it was ok to be paid a pittance but be regularly physically and verbally abused. Shame on them for not getting to grips with this and sorting it out.

P

No surprise there and come Monday there will be another stalled excuse this is playing games to keep the girls working and they have done it

L

Not surprised, feel bad for the girls still working, retired from this shower after 24 years service, absolutely typical

A

Wish I was working would be on a work to rule do what I can when I can and whatever time it takes see how that goes at a weekend

Glasgow - Dignity at Work

Scottish band Deacon Blue had a hit with their song 'Dignity' which is about a local council worker.

Glasgow City Council is Scotland's largest and best resourced local council and has lots to say on this subject as well - here's an extract of a GCC document I came across on the internet.

Re-brand Existing Harassment Policy to 'Dignity at Work'

Our current Harassment Policy should be re-launched as a “Dignity at Work” Policy, with a specific focus on creating a culture of respect where all employees are treated fairly and equally. It should also outline what is considered to be acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

Well if you ask me, this whole dignity and culture of respect business seems to be sadly lacking in Glasgow City Council when it comes to equal pay.

Glasgow - Breaking News! (03/11/17)

The big news from Glasgow is that the council's senior officials have failed yet again to deliver on their promise about providing vital pay information.

The senior official responsible for this farcical situation was in touch earlier today to say that the council is still carrying out a 'final verification' of the pay data which means that it will not be available until Monday.

Now I have to admit that I have absolutely no idea what a 'final verification' process is, but it does seems ridiculous to me that this measure was not already factored into the original timescale for completing the task.

Not least because Glasgow, Scotland's largest and best resourced council of course, claims to have been working hard to provide this information for months.

The obvious point to make is that if Glasgow's equal pay claimants - carers, cooks, cleaners, catering staff, clerical workers, classroom assistants etc - did their jobs in this 'couldn't care less', slapdash manner, there would be hell to pay.

And rightly so because the City Council would demand answers, insist that proper standards be upheld and 'carpet' anyone who was not taking their job and the service seriously.

So why is it that senior officials in Glasgow seem to operate to a quite different set of standards and rules?

I don't know to be honest although I do know that officials being paid big salaries worth tens of thousands of pounds year should be making a much better fist of things, instead of being obstructive and unhelpful.

Given that Monday is the new deadline, I can't see much point in going to war over the weekend, but I do plan to email this blog post to the City Council Leader, Susan Aitken and to all Glasgow MSPs and MPs.

Monday will be a different story however and if nothing has changed by then I would be looking for people's help to ensure that the sparks start to fly.

Watch this space.

Dignity and Respect in Glasgow (03/11/17)

Here's another letter from reader a reader in Glasgow making the case for the City Council's equal pay claimants to be treated with dignity and respect.

Dear Susan Aitken

I fully appreciate the mammoth headache of equal pay dispute that you walked into as part of the job that you now hold.

But l do think that by not letting the woman involved in the equal pay dispute know what is going on is only going to add to this.

I think it is about time we were told if only out of human courtesy when you will sit down with our representatives or ourselves and finally start talking about what as l think you fully understand is entitled to us.

We are hard working woman doing not always an easy job for the City of Glasgow we go out there every day tending to young and old in all weathers for a pay that has been short changed for many years now.

You as head of the Council can finally put right this wrong.

I look forward to see what the outcome will be.

Yours Sincerely

Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (03/11/17)

Today is a big day for thousands of equal pay claimants in Glasgow.

Because senior City Council officials have promised that long awaited pay information, which is required to allow serious settlement discussions to get underway, will finally be shared with claimant organisations by close of play today, Friday 3 November 2017.

If the pay data is not released, the City Council will have gone back on its word and I for one would have to question whether these senior officials are capable of acting in good faith.

As regular readers know, the City Council agreed to provide this pay data months ago, but all they've come up with until now is one pathetic excuse after another.

So let's hope things are about to take a big turn for the better.

Because if they don't, I think it would be fair to say that officials are undermining the new council administration and treating the City Council's equal pay claimants with enormous disrespect.

Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (02/11/17)

Here's a very powerful letter from a Glasgow Classroom Assistant to the leader of the City Council, Susan Aitken.

Good evening ,

I've been employed as a classroom assistant for 14 years in Glasgow. In that time I have been spat at, verbally assaulted and threatened on numerous occasions.

I love my job, you might find that strange to hear when you read my opening sentence but I do. I work with great colleagues and have the pleasure of supporting some of the most vulnerable young people in the community. A community that has been laid threadbare by the policies of politicians in various guises.

When you were elected to a position of power I had hoped that things would change I had hoped that you would quickly settle the equal pay claim that blights the name of Glasgow City Council. You are failing the people who you claim to represent. People who been devalued by the organisation you lead, people who only want what is their due.

Again I have been informed that your officials are stalling on meeting with my appointed advisors. How much longer can you justify these stalling tactics? I ask you listen to us and move the process forward to allow us the dignity and respect we deserve.

Kind Regards

H

The letter speaks for itself and highlights the importance of people engaging directly with local politicians in Glasgow, as there's really no good answer to the points being raised.

All I would add is that senior officials in the City Council are not giving the issue of equal pay the priority it deserves and it's time they started treating the claimants with proper respect.

Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (31/10/17)

Here's a letter I've just sent by email to the Leader of Glasgow City Council, Cllr Susan Aitken.

Now it's an 'open secret' that many of Glasgow's senior officials and advisers would prefer to keep this battle going through the courts because they are responsible for the mess the City Council finds itself in today.

So 'kicking the can' down the road a bit further to the UK Supreme Court means that they don't have to answer for their actions, as they are likely to have retired or moved on to other lucrative jobs.

The email address I have for Susan Aitken is - susan.aitken@glasgow.gov.uk - and I think it would be very useful if readers dropped the Leader a note to say that its high time that the Council's senior officials got their finger out.

Dear Councillor Aitken

Glasgow and Equal Pay

I understand that the long-awaited meeting with Glasgow City Council has still not been arranged despite the claimant organisations offering no less than five separate dates across three different weeks.

Senior council officials had these proposed dates for more than a week, i.e. since 23 October 2017, but waited until yesterday (Monday 30th) before announcing that there were unspecified problems on the City Council's side.

I have no idea what these 'problems' are though I think it is entirely reasonable to expect the City Council to give a much higher priority to these settlement discussions than they have received up until now.

I should also point out that senior officials have failed, yet again, to provide the pay data that was promised to the claimant organisations throughout September and October which makes it rather difficult to believe there is not a deliberate policy of obstruction at work, in some parts of the council at least.

I hope you will use your position as Leader of the Council to break the present logjam because I think it is fair to say that the claimants are fed up to the back teeth with this total lack of urgency and respect.

Kind regards

Mark Irvine

Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (30/10/17)

In recent days I've reported that long awaited equal pay settlement discussions with Glasgow City Council are about to get underway.

A4ES along with the other claimant organisations were asked to provide dates for an initial meeting to take place, which was done quickly as you would expect, and the following list of dates was given to the City Council on Monday 23 October 2017.

30 October 2017
31 October 2017
9 November 2017
13 November 2017
16 November 2017

But since last Monday both a thing has been heard from the City Council despite chase-up emails and follow-up phone calls.

So what are senior council officials playing at - are they taking things seriously or just fooling around?

Because the first date has already come and gone while the second (tomorrow) has no chance of going ahead at such short notice.

Whatever's going on this is no way to carry on if you ask me - it's rude and disrespectful to the claimants and if council officials feel able to behave in this manner before serious talks get underway, what are they going to be like when it comes to dealing with the big issues.

So I'm going to email the City Council leader Susan Aitken because Glasgow needs to get its act together and its officials need to start treating the claimants with some respect:susan.aitken@glasgow.gov.uk

Breaking News! (29/10/17)

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.

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)

I sent all Glasgow MSPs and MPs a copy of the posts from yesterday regarding the Accounts Commission report and the 10 year 'failure of leadership' over equal pay.

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)

Bob.Doris.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

James.Dornan.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Bill.Kidd.msp@cottish.parliament.scot

John.Mason.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Ivan.McKee.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Nicola.Sturgeon.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Sandra.White.msp@cottish.parliament.uk

Humza.Yousaf.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Glasgow MPs (Westminster Parliament)

Patrick.Grady.mp@parliament.uk

Stewart.McDonald.mp@parliament.uk

David.Linden.mp@parliament.uk