Glasgow - Equal Pay Update
Here's a brief update from the claimants meeting held earlier today in the Dixon Halls.
'WE'VE COME A LONG WAY, BUT THERE'S STILL A WAY TO GO!'
In less than a year the claimants have notched up some significant achievements, but there is still lots more to do before we can say this long-running dispute is finally over.
The Council has, at long last, accepted the 'unfit for purpose' judgment of Scotland's highest court, the Court of Session, and has agreed to scrap its discredited WPBR pay scheme.
A4ES, GMB and Unison are working together to find a replacement job evaluation scheme (JES) which is open, transparent and can command the confidence of the council workforce.
Until an agreed, 'equality proofed' JES is in put place the City Council is vulnerable to equal pay claims from both existing and new employees.
COMPENSATING THE WORKFORCE
The Claimant organisations (A4ES, GMB and Unison) have put forward comparators for each claimant group and detailed proposals for compensating the claimants for 12 years (and counting) of discriminatory pay practices under the WPBR.
The Council has still to respond, but they now have a deadline in early September to meet or the possibility of industrial action will be back on the table with a vengeance.
The Claimant organisations will also refer issues that cannot be agreed to the Employment Tribunals, but if negotiations do break down, Council leaders will have a job to explain how this is compatible with their commitment to a 'negotiated settlement'.
COUNCIL OFFICIALS
While the Council's political leaders say they are fully committed to a negotiated settlement the same cannot be said for senior officials.
In recent days the Council's senior officials have been unable and/or unwilling to get down to brass tacks over a variety of important issues including:
- explaining their position on the NSWP element of the WBPR, e.g. the 37 hour 'rule'
- agreeing, in principle, that future equal pay settlements must be made on a pensionbale basis
- accepting responsibility for the second class treatment of Cordia staff who transfer back to direct employment in September 2018
The FOI campaign in Glasgow continues apace and senior council officials have recently confirmed that in excess of £500,000 was spent on consultancy fees in introducing the WPBR back in 2006/07.
The Council originally claimed not to hold any cost details on the WPBR for this period, but things have changed following an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC). Mark Irvine will share this information on his blog in the next few days.
FOI requests have also highlighted a highly unusual case involving the 'gift' of £120,000 to the Council's former director of finance, Lynn Brown, so that she could access her pension early.
Again the Council claims to have 'no records' about this extraordinary arrangement, so Mark Irvine will be pursuing the matter with the Scottish Information Commissioner and the public spending watchdog - Audit Scotland/Accounts Commission.
GLASGOW COUNCILLORS, MSPS AND MPS
A concerted effort will be made to engage with Glasgow's politicians - Councillors, MSPs and MPs - after the summer holidays.
So far the city's politicians have been noticeable by their absence, but we will be looking for volunteers to organise small groups of claimants to meet with Councillors, MSPs and MPs - with a view to enlisting their more active support and involvement in the ongoing campaign for pay justice in Glasgow.
A further meeting in the Dixon Halls will be arranged for late August 2018 to 'kick start' this campaign which will focus initially on the south side and the following MSP constituencies: Glasgow Southside, Glasgow Cathcart and Glasgow Pollok.
SITTING ON THE SIDELINES
Recent reports suggest that there are lots of council employees who have still to register an equal pay claim, perhaps because they are under the mistaken belief that a final settlement will apply, automatically, to the whole council workforce.
Please let friends and co-workers know that this will not happen - a backdated equal pay settlement is only possible for those who register a claim.
So register a claim now with any one of the claimants organisations - A4ES, GMB and Unison - because if people sit on the sidelines, they will most definitely lose out.
