Glasgow's MSPs and MPs
I met with my local MP, Alison Thewliss, yesterday to discuss the ongoing fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council.
Alison has a background in local government having been a Glasgow councillor for several years between 2007 and 2015 before being elected to the Westminster Parliament as the MP for Glasgow Central.
And I would say that Alison also has a good grasp of the discrimination issues which led to Glasgow City Council's WPBR pay scheme being judged as 'unfit for purpose' by the Court of Session, not least because her researcher Andy Murphy attended the recent A4ES briefing for Glasgow MSPs and MPs on Alison's behalf.
So rather than discussing the background to equal pay the point I was keen to emphasise is that Glasgow's MSPs and MPs could be doing more to support the ongoing campaign because while there is now a new SNP-led council - it is still a minority administration and nothing can be taken for granted.
Indeed, in some ways, nothing has changed because the same group of officials who have been defending the City Council's WPBR pay arrangements for years - who saw nothing wrong with the discriminatory 37 hour 'rule' until the Court of Session stepped in - are now in charge of the settlement negotiations.
In some situations this would not necessarily be a barrier to success, for example if there was some sign that the leopard had changed its spots and demonstrated that senior officials in Glasgow had really learned the error of their ways.
But I don't see any sign of that and as far as I can see these senior officials are as arrogant as ever and instead of operating openly and transparently in relation to the WPBR - the City Council is refusing to answer perfectly reasonable FOI requests.
Which is where MSPs and MPs have a big role to play - by offering encouragement and support and by speaking out on behalf of their local constituents.
As I pointed out on the blog recently, Humza Yousaf, a Glasgow MSP and a Scottish Government minister, spoke out about employers 'docking' the pay of employees who could not get into work because of the terrible weather conditions.
So there's nothing to stop Glasgow's MSPs and MPs from becoming more actively involved and one quick look at their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds will tell you that they have lots to say on lots of issues - but so far at least not a lot to say about the fight for equal pay in their own backyards.
Scottish Ministers and Equal Pay (10/03/18)
Here's a very interesting story from the BBC which reports that Humza Yousaf, a Scottish Government minister, was highly critical of employers for threatening to dock the wages of staff who couldn't get into work during last week's appalling weather.
"I'd be extremely, extremely disappointed if employers chose to dock wages for somebody because they couldn't travel during the red weather warning," said Humza Yousaf Scotland's transpire minister.
He also said he had received emails from a number of people who were "facing disciplinary or potential docking of wages" before adding:
"Now that's just simply not an acceptable situation, when the government and the police and other agencies joined together to give very crisp, very clear advice."
Now what surprised me was the minister's willingness to speak out so strongly, not least because as a local Glasgow MSP Humza Yousaf has have nothing of substance to say about the long fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council which has been raging for the past 10 years.
But I'm not the sort of person to look a gift horse in the mouth and neither should equal pay claimants in Glasgow who are contacting MSPs and MPs to ask where they stand on getting rid of the City Council's 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme.
Lots of people have been in touch to say they've already fired off emails to their local councillors, MSPs and MPs - so keep me posted on what the politicians have to say.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-43272396
Scottish government warns employers over snow days pay docking
Image caption - The clear-up continues following the heavy snow falls across Scotland last week
Scottish ministers are considering action against employers for docking the wages of staff who could not make it to work because of the bad weather.
The public was advised not to travel during the worst of the snow last week.
Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said he had been contacted by people who were facing disciplinary action or potential docking of wages.
He told the BBC that was not acceptable and he would look at the legal position.
Workers 'facing disciplinary action'
On Wednesday into Thursday, Scotland ground to a halt with a red weather warning in place and people told not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland programme, Mr Yousaf said: "I'd be extremely, extremely disappointed if employers chose to dock wages for somebody because they couldn't travel during the red weather warning."
Media caption - Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland following a week of weather disruption
He said he had received emails from a number of people who were "facing disciplinary or potential docking of wages".
He added: "Now that's just simply not an acceptable situation, when the government and the police and other agencies joined together to give very crisp, very clear advice."
Asked what action Mr Yousaf might take against employers, he responded: "I don't know the legal position, but it will clearly be part of the debrief that we have after we pass through the yellow weather warning, which is late Monday night."
The minister said the process would involve "talking to employers and having that dialogue with them, and internally looking at what powers we have is clearly part of the discussion we're going to have".
Meanwhile, the Met Office currently has two yellow severe weather warnings in place, including for snow and ice across a large area of central and eastern Scotland until Monday night.
A second warning for ice in parts of north-east England and Northern Ireland is in force until 11:00 GMT on Monday.
The Met Office has also issued a third yellow warning of snow and ice for Tuesday covering northern Scotland.
The three flood warnings are in coastal parts of south-west and north-east England and are because of high tides, rather than thawing snow.
ScotRail said on Sunday morning: "A massive thank you to everyone at the ScotRail Alliance that worked tirelessly day and night to get Scotland's railway back up and running."
Virgin Trains still has no services running between Carlisle and Scotland on the west coast main line and said it did not expect services to resume on Sunday. It is offering a limited replacement bus service.
Scottish ministers are considering action against employers for docking the wages of staff who could not make it to work because of the bad weather.
The public was advised not to travel during the worst of the snow last week.
Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said he had been contacted by people who were facing disciplinary action or potential docking of wages.
He told the BBC that was not acceptable and he would look at the legal position.
- Disruption continues as thaw begins
- In pictures: UK battles snow
- Snow storms 'cost economy £200m-£300m'
- It's snowing - can I refuse to go to work?
His comments come as icy roads and snow continue to cause disruption in parts of the UK but forecasters say temperatures are starting to rise.
Weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for parts of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.
Many rail services are still affected while three flood warnings are in place.
The UK's economic growth is also likely to take a short-term hit, experts have warned, predicting a "disaster" for the high street as people staying at home turned to online shopping.
But temperatures are rising across the UK, with highs of 9C expected in Plymouth on Sunday.
Efforts are continuing to get the UK moving again. In Scotland, the main trunk roads are operational, as are the airports, and the railways are getting gradually back to usual service.
Weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for parts of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.
Many rail services are still affected while three flood warnings are in place.
The UK's economic growth is also likely to take a short-term hit, experts have warned, predicting a "disaster" for the high street as people staying at home turned to online shopping.
But temperatures are rising across the UK, with highs of 9C expected in Plymouth on Sunday.
Efforts are continuing to get the UK moving again. In Scotland, the main trunk roads are operational, as are the airports, and the railways are getting gradually back to usual service.
Image copyright - GETTY IMAGES Image caption"Armies" of local people have helped clear roads across Scotland, including in the village of Blanefield
The west coast mainline reopened between Scotland and Carlisle on Sunday evening.
ScotRail earlier said it had a "near-normal service" running across the country.
Many rural communities in south-west England which had been cut off by poor conditions can now be reached.
The west coast mainline reopened between Scotland and Carlisle on Sunday evening.
ScotRail earlier said it had a "near-normal service" running across the country.
Many rural communities in south-west England which had been cut off by poor conditions can now be reached.
Workers 'facing disciplinary action'
On Wednesday into Thursday, Scotland ground to a halt with a red weather warning in place and people told not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland programme, Mr Yousaf said: "I'd be extremely, extremely disappointed if employers chose to dock wages for somebody because they couldn't travel during the red weather warning."
Media caption - Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland following a week of weather disruption
He said he had received emails from a number of people who were "facing disciplinary or potential docking of wages".
He added: "Now that's just simply not an acceptable situation, when the government and the police and other agencies joined together to give very crisp, very clear advice."
Asked what action Mr Yousaf might take against employers, he responded: "I don't know the legal position, but it will clearly be part of the debrief that we have after we pass through the yellow weather warning, which is late Monday night."
The minister said the process would involve "talking to employers and having that dialogue with them, and internally looking at what powers we have is clearly part of the discussion we're going to have".
Meanwhile, the Met Office currently has two yellow severe weather warnings in place, including for snow and ice across a large area of central and eastern Scotland until Monday night.
A second warning for ice in parts of north-east England and Northern Ireland is in force until 11:00 GMT on Monday.
The Met Office has also issued a third yellow warning of snow and ice for Tuesday covering northern Scotland.
The three flood warnings are in coastal parts of south-west and north-east England and are because of high tides, rather than thawing snow.
ScotRail said on Sunday morning: "A massive thank you to everyone at the ScotRail Alliance that worked tirelessly day and night to get Scotland's railway back up and running."
Virgin Trains still has no services running between Carlisle and Scotland on the west coast main line and said it did not expect services to resume on Sunday. It is offering a limited replacement bus service.
Image copyright - NETWORK RAIL SCOTLAND Image caption - The railways are facing a challenge to clear snow
On the east coast route, Virgin said it hoped to run a "near-normal Sunday timetable" but passengers were urged to travel only if necessary as trains would be busy.
On Saturday, communities answered a call from the Scottish government to work together to clear local areas.
On the east coast route, Virgin said it hoped to run a "near-normal Sunday timetable" but passengers were urged to travel only if necessary as trains would be busy.
On Saturday, communities answered a call from the Scottish government to work together to clear local areas.
Image caption - Snow clearing at South Morningside Primary in Edinburgh
"Armies" of parent volunteers have been mobilised to try to get schools ready for Monday morning.
Many schools contacted parents via social media asking for help to clear paths and playgrounds to make them safe for pupils to return.
Hundreds of thousands of children have not been in the classroom since Tuesday due to extreme weather.
Parents and teachers have already been working to clean up snow from school grounds to allow them to reopen on Monday.
Other schools posted appeals for volunteers to gather at specific times to get grounds cleared.
Most councils who were forced to close schools last week were aiming to reopen facilities after the weekend, weather depending.
The Scottish government has also opened the Bellwin Scheme, set up to help councils who face large costs from damage due to the severe weather.
Back in February I said that the next big step in the fight for equal pay was to ensure that Glasgow City Council faces up to the mess that senior officials created with their 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme which was introduced in 2007.
I drafted a motion about getting rid of the WPBR which is reproduced below, for easy reference, and has been shared with all Glasgow councillors, as well as the city's MSPs and MPs.
For my ow part I had a productive meeting with my local MSP (John Mason) and I am in the process of arranging a discussion with my MP (Alison Thewliss) and my local councillors - Robert Connelly, Jennifer Layden and Greg Hepburn (Cecilia O'Lone, my Labour councillor is on long term sick leave).
But I can only do so much on my own and this is where the thousands of claimants across Glasgow can make their voices heard - as they did in persuading the City Council not to appeal the Court of Session decision regarding the discredited 'unfit for purpose' WPBR to the UK Supreme Court.
Now agreeing to replace the WPBR is not a big thing to ask especially as the pay scheme has already been condemned by Scotland's highest civil court.
So why is it taking so long for the council to face up to a decision that is staring it own the face?
Scotland's Labour leader has agreed that Glasgow's equal pay claimants are due and apology and one of the things the council should be apologising for, if you ask me, is the cockamamy WPBR pay scheme with its discriminatory 'rules' and practices.
Because until the WPBR is replaced with new pay arrangements and a new job evaluation scheme which is transparent, consistent and fair - things can only get worse.
The next full meeting of Glasgow City Council is on Thursday 5 April 2018 and my aim is to get my motion, or something very similar, debated and voted upon at this council meeting which would effectively tell senior officials to 'get their finger out'.
All it takes is one single councillor (out of 85) to place a motion on the agenda calling for the council to replace the WPBR and Glasgow's equal pay claimants can play their part by lobbying local councillors along with the city's MSPs and MPs.
Such a decision is for the city's elected councillors to make, but MSPs and MPs are part and parcel of Glasgow's political network so they have an important role to play as well.
So get emailing, texting, Tweeting, Facebook messaging and visiting Glasgow's politicians in the days ahead because the target date is less than four weeks away - Thursday 5th April.
Let me know what responses people get (good, bad or indifferent) and I'll share this information on the blog site.
"Armies" of parent volunteers have been mobilised to try to get schools ready for Monday morning.
Many schools contacted parents via social media asking for help to clear paths and playgrounds to make them safe for pupils to return.
Hundreds of thousands of children have not been in the classroom since Tuesday due to extreme weather.
Parents and teachers have already been working to clean up snow from school grounds to allow them to reopen on Monday.
Other schools posted appeals for volunteers to gather at specific times to get grounds cleared.
Most councils who were forced to close schools last week were aiming to reopen facilities after the weekend, weather depending.
The Scottish government has also opened the Bellwin Scheme, set up to help councils who face large costs from damage due to the severe weather.
Glasgow - Many Hands Make Light Work (09/03/18)
Back in February I said that the next big step in the fight for equal pay was to ensure that Glasgow City Council faces up to the mess that senior officials created with their 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme which was introduced in 2007.
I drafted a motion about getting rid of the WPBR which is reproduced below, for easy reference, and has been shared with all Glasgow councillors, as well as the city's MSPs and MPs.
"Glasgow City Council accepts with the unanimous judgment of the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, that its Workforce Pay and Benefits Review (WPBR) is 'unfit for purpose'.
"Council therefore instructs senior officials to replace the WPBR scheme, as a matter of urgency, to bring to an end discriminatory practices which treat its low paid women workers as second class citizens.
"Council further instructs senior officials to draw up plans for using the Gauge job evaluation scheme (JES) as a replacement for the WPBR.
"Council notes that the Gauge JES was originally recommended for use by the Scottish council employers via COSLA and the national trade unions (GMB, Unison and Unite), as part of the landmark 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement."
But I can only do so much on my own and this is where the thousands of claimants across Glasgow can make their voices heard - as they did in persuading the City Council not to appeal the Court of Session decision regarding the discredited 'unfit for purpose' WPBR to the UK Supreme Court.
Now agreeing to replace the WPBR is not a big thing to ask especially as the pay scheme has already been condemned by Scotland's highest civil court.
So why is it taking so long for the council to face up to a decision that is staring it own the face?
Scotland's Labour leader has agreed that Glasgow's equal pay claimants are due and apology and one of the things the council should be apologising for, if you ask me, is the cockamamy WPBR pay scheme with its discriminatory 'rules' and practices.
Because until the WPBR is replaced with new pay arrangements and a new job evaluation scheme which is transparent, consistent and fair - things can only get worse.
The next full meeting of Glasgow City Council is on Thursday 5 April 2018 and my aim is to get my motion, or something very similar, debated and voted upon at this council meeting which would effectively tell senior officials to 'get their finger out'.
All it takes is one single councillor (out of 85) to place a motion on the agenda calling for the council to replace the WPBR and Glasgow's equal pay claimants can play their part by lobbying local councillors along with the city's MSPs and MPs.
Such a decision is for the city's elected councillors to make, but MSPs and MPs are part and parcel of Glasgow's political network so they have an important role to play as well.
So get emailing, texting, Tweeting, Facebook messaging and visiting Glasgow's politicians in the days ahead because the target date is less than four weeks away - Thursday 5th April.
Let me know what responses people get (good, bad or indifferent) and I'll share this information on the blog site.
