The Fight for Equal Pay in Glasgow

I've been having a good natured Twitter exchange with James Dornan MSP on the fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council. 

As I said on the blog yesterday - 'It's Good To Talk' - and the more people who get involved in these discussions the better because there are hugely important issues at stake.

Just remember that it's possible to argue about and debate serious topics while at the same time keeping a civil tongue in your head - this is not a party political fight. 

  

James Dornan SNP Retweeted 

GMB UNION

Solidarity @GMBScotOrg A significant moment, not just in the long history of Glasgow’s equal pay scandal but in the fight back against institutionalised discrimination and sexism at work. We stand with you in the fight to secure what has been stolen.

So after a decade of Labour administration fighting to stop equal pay you strike when you have an SNP administration in place who vow to sort it out. Clever

The problem is that after more than 8 months and 19 separate settlement meetings not one single issue of substance has been agreed. The Council signed up to a negotiating process, but incredibly there have been no 'negotiations'- hence the strike ballots!




Sorry Mark I’ve a great deal of sympathy for the women involved & if there have been no negotiations then that should be sorted out smartly, however 10 yrs of Labour, who opposed equal pay, no Strike. 16 months of SNP, who at least agree with equal pay, strike! Doesn’t look good




All political parties say they agree with equal pay. The difference now is that the highest civil court in Scotland, the Court of Session, condemned GCC’s WPBR pay arrangements as ‘unfit for purpose’ in August 2017. The failure of GCC to negotiate seriously is the real problem

So 10 years its been ongoing, with nothing but enmity from previous administration, now when there’s supposed to be an agreed settlement by Christmas, although I do know the women are genuinely unhappy at the pace of negotiations, just seems a weird time to strike.

It’s not the ‘pace’ of negotiations that’s the issue - not a single thing has been agreed (or is in the process of being agreed) after more than 8 months and 19 rounds of settlement talks. There are no ‘negotiations’ and there is no prospect of an agreement by the end of the year!

It's Good to Talk - The Fight for Equal Pay (15/09/19)

Twitter has suddenly sparked into life as far as the fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council is concerned.

I'll share some of the comments people have posted in recent days and not just because they make interesting, sometimes  funny or occasionally infuriating reading.  

Social media is a great for spreading the word, keeping everyone in touch with what's going on and for sharing ideas and inspiration.

If claimants 'follow' their local Councillors, MSPs and MPs, Twitter is also a quick and easy way to raise questions or make a point - and it's very handy because you can get involved quickly via your mobile phone.

 

Facebook and Twitter (29/1017)

I never tire of making the point on the blog site that 'Many Hands Make Light Work' in the fight for equal pay.

Now this was true in South Lanarkshire, for example, and also in North Lanarkshire, where both councils finally came to their senses and finally stopped trying to defend their indefensible pay arrangements.  

Glasgow City Council has been talking the talk about equal pay claims for weeks and months - which amounts to 'willing the ends but not the means' of settling equal pay, if you ask me.

And if things don't change soon, tactics will need to change which means a renewed effort to bring the fight for equal pay to the door of Glasgow's MSPs and MPs - many of whom have been strangely silent on the issue up till now.

So be prepared to do your bit, keep spreading the word to friends and co-workers, and keep up with all the equal pay news in Glasgow by following Mark Irvine on Facebook and Twitter -  

All you need is a mobile phone!

    

Glasgow and Equal Pay (25/05/17)

I received an email the other day from a reader in Glasgow asking if I could send out updates by post, for the benefit of people who don't have access to the internet. 

Here's what I said in reply:

Hi Ann

I update my blog site several times a week, as you probably know, so it's really not possible for me to produce separate briefings for individuals or small groups - I just don't have the time.

I also do put all the equal pay blog posts on Twitter and Facebook.

So anyone with a mobile phone (which is just about everyone these days) can follow me on Twitter or Facebook and get access to my blog site that way.

Here's my Twitter address -  - and a quick search on Facebook will bring up my A4ES pages. 

Hope that helps.

Kind regards

Mark

So for anyone who doesn't have a computer-based internet access at home - there is more than one way to skin this cat by using Twitter and Facebook.