Who's Sorry Now? (19/03/18)
Lots of readers have been in touch to say they have contacted Frank McAveety over the long-awaited apology to Glasgow's equal pay claimants.
Here's one person who wrote to Frank back on 7 March and two weeks later is still waiting on a response.
So if Frank doesn't get a move on, maybe the next step is to contact Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard directly.
Hi Mark
Just a wee update as l told you in my last email l sent an email to Mr Frank McAveety on the 7 March regarding equal pay and the WPBR and asked him a few questions on the matter today the 18 March l have still had no acknowledgement from him.
What's the man hiding????
H
Who's Sorry Now? (07/03/18)
I still haven't heard anything from Frank McAveety, Glasgow's Labour Group leader, in response to my letter about an apology to the City Council's equal pay claimants.
But if anyone would like to ask Frank directly what's going on, here's a reminder of his email address: frank.mcaveety@glasgow.gov.uk
If you ask me, it's really rude of elected politicians in Glasgow, or anywhere else, not to respond promptly to enquiries from their local constituents.
An acknowledgment will do if the issue being raised needs thought or careful consideration, although that's not the situation here.
The Scottish Labour Party conference is being held this weekend so maybe a public spirited delegate will raise the issue in Dundee because there's no doubt in my mind that the issue of Equal Pay is an albatross around the party's neck in Glasgow.
Who's Sorry Now (And For What)? (05/03/18)
I wrote to the Leader of the Labour Group Frank McAveety at Glasgow City Council on Saturday about the apology due to thousands of equal pay claimants who were cheated out of their right to 'equal pay for work of equal value' for many years.
Here's what I had to say:
Dear Cllr McAveety
Glasgow's Equal Pay Claimants - An Apology
The Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard recently stated, as you know, that Glasgow's equal pay claimants are due an apology over the excessive resistance to their equal pay claims when the City Council was under Labour control.
Now it will not surprise you, in the least, to learn that I agree with Richard Leonard because I have been saying the same thing myself, for some time, via my blog site and I attach a recent post dated 19 February 2018 which sets out my views on the subject.
As you can see from my post the big question to be answered is: "Who is going to apologise and exactly what will they apologise for?"
Now I appreciate that you have only recently returned to the Glasgow Labour Group after a long spell in the Scottish Parliament, but as Labour leader in Glasgow City Council I presume it now falls to you to take this important issue forward.
My personal view is that senior council officials were given free rein to do what they liked in respect of the 'unfit for purpose' WPBR and were not properly scrutinised or held to account for their defence of a scheme which has been shown to be riddled with discriminatory pay practices.
The irony is that any reasonable person ought to have been able to see the very obvious deficiencies of the WPBR (such as the ridiculous '37 hour rule') without requiring the intervention of three judges from the Court of Session who found unanimously in the claimants' favour.
So I would like to suggest that whoever makes this apology on behalf of the Labour Group or even the Full Council, the official mea culpa ought to be firmly bolstered by a clear commitment to replace the now thoroughly discredited WPBR scheme with new pay arrangements which are transparent, consistent and fair.
I would be happy to meet with you and your Labour Group colleagues to discuss the matter further and I can arrange to provide Glasgow councillors with an A4ES briefing on the WPBR to explain why the scheme does not command the confidence of the council's largely female workforce, or the equal pay claimants' representatives (A4ES, GMB and Unison).
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards
Mark Irvine
Now I haven't heard back from Frank, but I think the Glasgow's equal pay claimants are entitled to know what's going on.
After all it's not every day that a Scottish party leader speaks out so directly and tells party apparatchiks in Glasgow, Scotland's largest council, to get their finger out.
I have had a really busy day, but I have now read all the media coverage of Richard Leonard's statement about equal pay claimants in Glasgow City Council being owed an apology, one that is long overdue if you ask me.
The following BBC report is as good as any and the key words spoken by the Scottish Labour leader seem to be as follows:
"Many equal pay claims were settled under Labour in Glasgow, but there was too much resistance, too much legal obstruction and for that I think we owe those women an apology."
Now I agree with Richard about the need for an apology because Glasgow City Council did not stumble into this situation without careful thought and forward planning.
The City Council knew it was 'bang to rights' back in 2005 when Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES) appeared on the scene and started to explain to low paid women workers that their jobs were being hugely undervalued and underpaid.
But the response of the council leadership (politicians and officials) was not to put eerie hands up and admit what was going on - what they did was to 'dupe' the women out of their right to equal pay.
Firstly, by offering cash 'buy-outs' of their existing equal pay claims (in 2005) which were capped at a derisory maximum of just £9,000 - a scheme which was not based on hours worked and excluded lots of female dominated groups.
Secondly, by bringing in an untried and untested WPBR pay scheme from an external consultant (Hays HR Consulting and a chap called Steve Watson) instead of using the Gauge Scheme recommended by the Scottish council employers (via COSLA) and the national trade unions - GMB, Unison and Unite.
Thirdly, by setting up a range of ALEOs (Arm's Length External Organisations) in a cynical effort to stop the female claimants from comparing their earnings with the much higher pay of traditional male jobs.
In other words a great deal of effort and careful planning has gone into cheating Glasgow's lowest paid women workers out of their basic employment rights.
So the big question is: Who is going to apologise and what exactly will they apologise for?
If you ask me, Glasgow's chief executive Annemarie O'Donnell should be handed this task because she has been a very senior official in Glasgow City Council throughout the whole time - unlike other people (some of whom have departed the scene) Annemarie has nowhere to hide.
Although it does have to be said that the real test for the council lies not just in saying sorry, but in putting things right which has to mean:
Here's what I had to say:
Dear Cllr McAveety
Glasgow's Equal Pay Claimants - An Apology
The Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard recently stated, as you know, that Glasgow's equal pay claimants are due an apology over the excessive resistance to their equal pay claims when the City Council was under Labour control.
Now it will not surprise you, in the least, to learn that I agree with Richard Leonard because I have been saying the same thing myself, for some time, via my blog site and I attach a recent post dated 19 February 2018 which sets out my views on the subject.
As you can see from my post the big question to be answered is: "Who is going to apologise and exactly what will they apologise for?"
Now I appreciate that you have only recently returned to the Glasgow Labour Group after a long spell in the Scottish Parliament, but as Labour leader in Glasgow City Council I presume it now falls to you to take this important issue forward.
My personal view is that senior council officials were given free rein to do what they liked in respect of the 'unfit for purpose' WPBR and were not properly scrutinised or held to account for their defence of a scheme which has been shown to be riddled with discriminatory pay practices.
The irony is that any reasonable person ought to have been able to see the very obvious deficiencies of the WPBR (such as the ridiculous '37 hour rule') without requiring the intervention of three judges from the Court of Session who found unanimously in the claimants' favour.
So I would like to suggest that whoever makes this apology on behalf of the Labour Group or even the Full Council, the official mea culpa ought to be firmly bolstered by a clear commitment to replace the now thoroughly discredited WPBR scheme with new pay arrangements which are transparent, consistent and fair.
I would be happy to meet with you and your Labour Group colleagues to discuss the matter further and I can arrange to provide Glasgow councillors with an A4ES briefing on the WPBR to explain why the scheme does not command the confidence of the council's largely female workforce, or the equal pay claimants' representatives (A4ES, GMB and Unison).
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards
Mark Irvine
Now I haven't heard back from Frank, but I think the Glasgow's equal pay claimants are entitled to know what's going on.
After all it's not every day that a Scottish party leader speaks out so directly and tells party apparatchiks in Glasgow, Scotland's largest council, to get their finger out.
I'm So Sorry, Glasgow (19/02/18)
The following BBC report is as good as any and the key words spoken by the Scottish Labour leader seem to be as follows:
"Many equal pay claims were settled under Labour in Glasgow, but there was too much resistance, too much legal obstruction and for that I think we owe those women an apology."
Now I agree with Richard about the need for an apology because Glasgow City Council did not stumble into this situation without careful thought and forward planning.
The City Council knew it was 'bang to rights' back in 2005 when Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES) appeared on the scene and started to explain to low paid women workers that their jobs were being hugely undervalued and underpaid.
But the response of the council leadership (politicians and officials) was not to put eerie hands up and admit what was going on - what they did was to 'dupe' the women out of their right to equal pay.
Firstly, by offering cash 'buy-outs' of their existing equal pay claims (in 2005) which were capped at a derisory maximum of just £9,000 - a scheme which was not based on hours worked and excluded lots of female dominated groups.
Secondly, by bringing in an untried and untested WPBR pay scheme from an external consultant (Hays HR Consulting and a chap called Steve Watson) instead of using the Gauge Scheme recommended by the Scottish council employers (via COSLA) and the national trade unions - GMB, Unison and Unite.
Thirdly, by setting up a range of ALEOs (Arm's Length External Organisations) in a cynical effort to stop the female claimants from comparing their earnings with the much higher pay of traditional male jobs.
In other words a great deal of effort and careful planning has gone into cheating Glasgow's lowest paid women workers out of their basic employment rights.
So the big question is: Who is going to apologise and what exactly will they apologise for?
If you ask me, Glasgow's chief executive Annemarie O'Donnell should be handed this task because she has been a very senior official in Glasgow City Council throughout the whole time - unlike other people (some of whom have departed the scene) Annemarie has nowhere to hide.
Although it does have to be said that the real test for the council lies not just in saying sorry, but in putting things right which has to mean:
- getting rid of and replacing the WPBR
- compensating the claimants for their loss
- dismantling Glasgow City Council's ALEOs
Leonard: Labour owes Glasgow equal pay women an apology
Image copyright - PA
The Scottish Labour leader has said women in Glasgow City Council are owed an apology for "too much resistance" to their equal pay claims when the local authority was under Labour control.
Richard Leonard said Labour settled many equal pay claims but there was "too much legal obstruction".
The party was in power in the city for decades before being ousted by the SNP last May.
He was speaking to the party's Women's Conference in Glasgow.
The council dropped its legal challenge in January with cross-party agreement.
It had previously lost a Court of Session appeal against an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling that they had continued to discriminate against women through the introduction of payment protections upholding the earnings of male colleagues following the initial wave of equal pay awards.
The Scottish Labour leader has said women in Glasgow City Council are owed an apology for "too much resistance" to their equal pay claims when the local authority was under Labour control.
Richard Leonard said Labour settled many equal pay claims but there was "too much legal obstruction".
The party was in power in the city for decades before being ousted by the SNP last May.
He was speaking to the party's Women's Conference in Glasgow.
The council dropped its legal challenge in January with cross-party agreement.
It had previously lost a Court of Session appeal against an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling that they had continued to discriminate against women through the introduction of payment protections upholding the earnings of male colleagues following the initial wave of equal pay awards.
Unison said the women want a fair and transparent pay scheme and compensation and that the council has agreed to discuss a settlement for the 11,000 claimants with it and other trade unions.
Mr Leonard said: "I am pleased that we are now on the right side of the argument with equal pay in Glasgow City Council.
"Many equal pay claims were settled under Labour in Glasgow, but there was too much resistance, too much legal obstruction and for that I think we owe those women an apology."
He emphasised plans to tackle discrimination and harassment within Scottish Labour and wider society in the wake of the sexual harassment scandals at Westminster and Holyrood.
Mr Leonard said: "I am pleased that we are now on the right side of the argument with equal pay in Glasgow City Council.
"Many equal pay claims were settled under Labour in Glasgow, but there was too much resistance, too much legal obstruction and for that I think we owe those women an apology."
He emphasised plans to tackle discrimination and harassment within Scottish Labour and wider society in the wake of the sexual harassment scandals at Westminster and Holyrood.
Image copyright - PA Image caption -- Hundreds of women - some dressed as suffragettes - marched through Glasgow calling for equal pay from the council earlier this month
His focus on discrimination follows his leadership rival and fellow MSP Anas Sarwar speaking out about his own experiences of abuse and criticism of Mr Leonard's decision not to suspend MP Hugh Gaffney, who apologised earlier this month after making "deeply offensive and unacceptable" remarksabout the LGBT community and Chinese people.
Scottish Labour has announced plans to set-up a special sub-committee of the party's Scottish executive to develop an anti-discrimination and harassment policy.
Mr Leonard said: "Over the past few months the culture of politics, particularly in relation to gender equality, has rightly come under the spotlight.
"Politicians - including some in the Labour party - have been found to engage in behaviour, that falls well below the standards we in this room, and in this party and in this movement, expect and deserve.
"There has, once again, been a breakdown of trust between politicians and those they hope to serve. So my job, our job is to work to rebuild that trust.
"We will work to ensure women across Scotland know that the Labour Party stands up for them. We will work to end discrimination both within the party and without."
He added: "Scottish Labour, under my leadership, will be at the forefront of the drive for equality."
Mr Leonard said he had already taken steps to make the party more equal, adding: "That action comes from the one driving principle - that there is no place for any form of discrimination in the Labour Party, be it sexism, be it homophobia, be it racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia."
His focus on discrimination follows his leadership rival and fellow MSP Anas Sarwar speaking out about his own experiences of abuse and criticism of Mr Leonard's decision not to suspend MP Hugh Gaffney, who apologised earlier this month after making "deeply offensive and unacceptable" remarksabout the LGBT community and Chinese people.
Scottish Labour has announced plans to set-up a special sub-committee of the party's Scottish executive to develop an anti-discrimination and harassment policy.
Mr Leonard said: "Over the past few months the culture of politics, particularly in relation to gender equality, has rightly come under the spotlight.
"Politicians - including some in the Labour party - have been found to engage in behaviour, that falls well below the standards we in this room, and in this party and in this movement, expect and deserve.
"There has, once again, been a breakdown of trust between politicians and those they hope to serve. So my job, our job is to work to rebuild that trust.
"We will work to ensure women across Scotland know that the Labour Party stands up for them. We will work to end discrimination both within the party and without."
He added: "Scottish Labour, under my leadership, will be at the forefront of the drive for equality."
Mr Leonard said he had already taken steps to make the party more equal, adding: "That action comes from the one driving principle - that there is no place for any form of discrimination in the Labour Party, be it sexism, be it homophobia, be it racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia."
