Glasgow - Equal Pay Update
So the stakes have been raised yet again in the fight for equal pay in Glasgow with the news that the Unison Glasgow City Branch is to conduct an consultative strike ballot.
Here's the formal announcement from Unison and I believe that the GMB are to carry out a similar exercise over the month of May as well.
I'm sure the next few weeks of the campaign will be critical and the more people who get involved the better the outcome for all concerned - the message to the Council is:
'Get serious about compensating equal pay claimants for 11 years (and counting) of the Council's discredited, 'unfit for purpose' WPBR and agree to introduce a new job evaluation scheme which is open, transparent and commands the support of the workforce'.
Equal Pay - UNISON consultative strike ballots.
The Court of Session ruled last year on Glasgow City Council’s unequal pay system and inadequate current job evaluation scheme. Scotland’s top judges could not have been clearer – the council do not have a valid pay system. Many workers in the council and its arm’s length external organisations (ALEOs) have been discriminated against since 2006 when the Workforce Pay and Benefits Review (WPBR) was implemented. Most of these workers are women, many low paid.
Nearly five months into a series of meetings with the trade unions and Action4Equality the council have still not made any concrete moves to resolve the past pay discrimination - lots of words, no action!
The council also still refuse to accept that the current WPBR job evaluation and pay scheme has to be replaced moving forward, and all jobs re-evaluated with an equality-proofed scheme.
The council also need to commit more money to the total council pay bill moving forward - no robbing “Peter to pay Pauline”!
UNISON wants:
• The individual claimants compensated for past discrimination as soon as possible.
• A new job evaluation scheme which delivers pay equality and pay justice for all.
• The council to commit funding to ensure pay equality, justice and security for all.
UNISON is now calling on all members to increase the pressure on the council by voting for, and if necessary, taking strike action.
All 10,200 UNISON members in Glasgow City Council and its ALEOs will receive consultative ballot papers from Monday 30 April. Papers should be returned by Wednesday 30 May.
These consultative ballots will be used to build towards formal ballots if required.
Equal Pay and Pay Justice NOW…!
Vote YES to Strike Action…!!