Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Stefan Cross shares his thoughts about the latest developments in Glasgow following a letter from the City Council to the local Unison branch. Now I haven't seen the Council's letter and although I have read the Unison update, what I don't understand is why the letter from Robert Anderson hasn't been published, as well, so we can all see what it says. I'll have more to say tomorrow, but like Stefan I would caution against any premature celebrations at this stage because while the demise of the WPBR is welcome, there is a complete lack of detail on the compensation Glasgow claimants are due for working under 'unfit for purpose', discriminatory pay arrangements since January 2007.      UNISON JUMPS THE GUN - CALLS OFF STRIKE BALLOT UNTIL JANUARY  So I’m in Paris learning about the French Revolution when my phone goes crazy with Facebook posts claiming there’s going to be an equal pay settlement payout in January and not only that, it was,...

Jennifer McCarey posted a great Facebook message on behalf of the Glasgow Unison branch. For everyone who thinks that women workers won’t vote for strike action, for everyone that thinks that home carers, cleaners and catering workers won’t vote for strike action. For everyone that thinks equal pay will go away. This ballot result is evidence that the lowest paid public sector workers in Glasgow, 84% female workforce, are ready to strike, unless the council delivers #PayJustice #GlasgowEqualPay ✊ 😍 Now for years we have been hearing that just about everyone you care to mention - council officials, local councillors, MSPs and MPs - all firmly believe in the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. Well now it's time to 'walk the walk' - instead of just 'talking the talk' because, as everyone knows, actions speak much louder than words     Glasgow - More Breaking News!  (30/05/18) Unison Glasgow have just returned an impressive ...

Here's the Evening Times take on the big news about the resounding level of support for strike action  amongst GMB and Unison members,  if the City Council doesn't come to its senses in equal pay settlement negotiations which have been dragging on for the past six months. And what a dumb comment from a Council spokesperson about the 'current timetable'!   Because if these settlement talks were making any kind of reasonable progress, the trade unions would not have had to ballot their members over industrial action - and the Claimants Side (A4ES, GMB and Unison) would not be having to consider taking all the outstanding equal pay claims back to the Employment Tribunals. Perhaps the slow progress is down to the fact that the slow progress towards settlement is down to the fact that the senior officials representing the Council Side up until now, are the same senior officials who defended the WPBR 'tooth and nail' for so many years?...

Unison Glasgow have just returned an impressive set of results from a consultative ballot in which all  branch members were asked about their willingness to take strike action in the ongoing fight for equal pay with Glasgow City Council. Now I really hope the Council's political leaders and senior management are listening because there is support for industrial action right across the board, from all sections of the Unison membership, which is quite remarkable.  So the onus is now on Glasgow to respond with serious proposals for completing the settlement negotiations within a reasonable time period, otherwise the City Council is likely to face the 'double whammy' of strike action over equal pay and being hauled back into the Employment Tribunals. The Claimants Side meets next week (Tuesday 5th June), but there's no doubt that Unison and the GMB have played their part in persuading the Council to face up to its obligations and inject a sense urgency into ...

Yet another week has gone by and Glasgow City Council has still not answered, or explained when it will answer, my freedom of information (FOI) request regarding the costs incurred by senior officials in defending their 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme.  I can only assume that this information will prove embarrassing, in one way or the other, because what else can explain this kind of extraordinary and unprofessional behaviour from Scotland's largest and best resourced council. Note the following words in the Council's letter of 23 April 2018, " the request is being dealt with as a priority and a response will be issued as soon as possible." I plan to share this post with Glasgow's councillors because sooner or later some of these elected officials must surely take a stand on the way the Council is being run. More intriguing news about Glasgow City Council and FOI to follow tomorrow - so watch this  space.   ...