Glasgow - Meeting the Costs of Equal Pay
I have been writing on this blog for months about the obvious way for Glasgow City Council to meet the costs of equal pay - by seeking additional and exceptional borrowing powers from the Scottish Government.
Now, all of a sudden, other people are saying the same thing - that this is not a challenge Glasgow can meet on its own, out of its own limited resources, and that there is indeed an important role for the Scottish Government to play in helping to find a solution to this long-running and damaging dispute.
Here are some previous posts from the blog site archive which explain how this might be done and although the costs involved in Glasgow are far greater, because the City Council has allowed this to drag on for 12 years (and counting), the basic principle is exactly the same.
So let's hear what Glasgow's politicians - Councillors, MSPs and MPs have to say - as it's now clear that I have been proved right in what I've been saying all along.
Meeting the Costs of Equal Pay (12/01/18)
MSPs, MPs, elected councillors and council officials have all asked me the same question, but the answer is really quite obvious.
Because several years ago the Scottish Government agreed that local councils could apply for additional 'borrowing consents' to meet the costs of financing their equal pay settlements.
And the post below from the blog site archive shows that in 2010 five Scottish councils applied to borrow an £20 million for this very purpose - and these were all were very small councils compared to Glasgow which is the largest local authority in Scotland, by a very long way.
But always bear in mind all these equal pay claims represent 'lost income' to some of Glasgow's lowest paid council workers over the past 10 years and counting - including the cost of their pensions.
What's clear is that Glasgow's low paid women workers have not created the problem, so it would be monstrously stupid and unfair to suggest that they should somehow 'subsidise' a solution by accepting less than what they are due for everything they've lost over all these years.
I am going to submit a new FOI request to Scottish Ministers asking for an update on the 2010 figures, but it doesn't take a financial genius to work out that a 50 year bond agreed with Glasgow City Council would go a long way towards solving its problems over equal pay and its 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme.
Costs of Equal Pay (23/0814)
Here's a post from the blog site archive which explains the background to my recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request to Scottish Ministers about financial support for councils in relation to outstanding equal pay claims.
Now I don't know the answer to that which is why I've submitted an FoI request to Scottish Ministers.
Meeting the Costs of Equal Pay (17 May 2010)
As reported in last month several councils have applied to the Scottish Government for additional 'borrowing consents' - to help meet the back pay costs of settling their equal pay claims.
All of the councils involved have now been approached - to see if they are prepared to make renewed settlement offers - in the light of these new circumstances.
Any developments will be reported on the blog site - but readers are free to ask the same question of their local councillors and council leaders.
Contact details will be available on your own council's web site
Meeting the Costs of Equal Pay (April 2010)
Several Scottish councils have asked the Scottish Government for permission to borrow extra funds - to help them meet the back pay costs of their outstanding equal pay claims.
Here's what they've been allocated by way of additional 'borrowing consents' from the Scottish Government
Clackmannanshire Council
£1,513,000
East Dunbartonshire Council
£2,786,000
Falkirk Council
£5,633,000
Midlothian Council
£9,091,000
West Dunbartonshire Council
West Dunbartonshire Council
£4,413,000
It seems fair to assume that having asked to borrow these additional funds - the councils involved should now get their fingers out and put firm proposals on the table.
And given that large sums of public money are involved - Action 4 Equality Scotland will ensure that there is a fair and just settlement of people's claims.
It seems fair to assume that having asked to borrow these additional funds - the councils involved should now get their fingers out and put firm proposals on the table.
And given that large sums of public money are involved - Action 4 Equality Scotland will ensure that there is a fair and just settlement of people's claims.
Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (11/01/18)
- Over 'Pay Protection' - the Court of Session found that the City Council failed to protect the interests of female dominated jobs (the majority of the workforce) following the introduction of a new JES (Job Evaluation Scheme and new pay arrangements in 2006/07.
- Over the 'WPBR' - the Court of Session found that the City Council's new JES and new pay arrangements (known locally as the Workforce Pay and Benefits Review) were discriminatory, unlawful and 'unfit for purpose'.
- Over an application seeking 'leave to appeal' the WPBR judgment to the UK Supreme Court - the Court of Session decided that the City Council had no case and rejected all of their grounds of appeal
- All three decisions of the Court of Session were unanimous.
- Do you support the decisions of the Court of Session?
- Do you agree that Glasgow City Council should accept the judgment of the Court of Session - and drop any further appeal to the UK Supreme Court in London?
- If so, what are you doing to support your local constituents in the ongoing fight for equal pay in Glasgow which has reached a critical moment?
And to help people do just that - here's a handy list of their contact email addresses.
Glasgow Constituency MSPs (Scottish Parliament)
Glasgow List MSPs
Glasgow MPs (Westminster Parliament)
Glasgow - Equal Pay Update (10/01/18)
I think it's safe to say there was no big breakthrough at the first equal pay meeting of 2018 with Glasgow City Council, otherwise everyone would have been shouting from the rooftops of the City Chambers.
So the settlement process continues and further meetings are in the diary, but the elephant in the room is the issue of whether Scotland's largest council now accepts the judgement of Scotland's highest civil court, the Court of Session, that Glasgow's discredited WPBR pay scheme really is 'unfit for purpose'.
If so, the City Council needs to take 'off the table' the possibility of a further appeal to the UK Supreme Court in London because settlement discussions can only get down to the business of serious negotiations if this threat is removed.
I think this is a very fair point to raise directly with Glasgow's MSPs and MPs including the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, especially as the deadline for any appeal is just one week away, i.e. next Wednesday 17 January 2018.
I have been raising the issue with MSPs and MPs in recent weeks, but the time is now right for individual claimants across Glasgow to make their voices heard.
The best way to do this would be for people to contact their local MSPs and MPs to ask their views on this subject and what they are doing to support their local constituents - by email, Facebook and Twitter.
I will post some thoughts on the blog site to help people get their point across, but Glasgow's politicians know what's going on for the past 10 years and if you ask me it's high time they stood up and spoke out.
More to follow - so spread the word far and wide, encourage your friends and co-workers to get involved and watch this space.
