Who Speaks for Glasgow?



The political leadership of Glasgow City Council is on record saying that the WPBR pay scheme discriminates against the Council's largely female workforce.  

"The whole issue arose out of the fact that the (WPBR) pay and grading scheme the Council has, has been found to discriminate against women, and we completely accept that it does." 

So why are senior Council officials preparing to defend the WPBR at next week's Employment Tribunal hearing in Glasgow - is the Council tail wagging the dog? 

  

Who Speaks for Glasgow? (28/08/18)



Here's an interesting statement that just might have a significant impact on the fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council.

 "The whole issue arose out of the fact that the (WPBR) pay and grading scheme the Council has, has been found to discriminate against women, and we completely accept that it does." 

Now these words were spoken by Cllr Mhairi Hunter whom I have met previously to discuss Glasgow's equal pay dispute and who has accompanied Council Leader, Susan Aitken, to an equal pay meeting or two at the Dixon Halls in Govanhill.

I think I'm correct in saying that Mhairi also has a role as office manager in Nicola Sturgeon's parliamentary office which is located in the First Minister's Glasgow Southside constituency.

 So back to what Mhairi said on Sunday about the Council's 'unfit for purpose' WPBR pay scheme via a local Glasgow TV programme, Full Scottish.

Mhairi's words are unequivocal and unambiguous- the City Council completely accepts that its WPBR pay scheme is discriminatory, a view which helpfully chimes with that of the Court of Session, the highest civil court in Scotland.

The only problem is that this is not the stance that has been adopted by the council's senior officials in 8 months of equal pay settlement 'negotiations' which have been taking place since the start of 2018.

Nor it it likely to the the position of the Council when all the outstanding equal pay cases go back to the Glasgow Employment Tribunal on 25 September, if 8 long months of unproductive settlement 'negotiations' are anything to go by.

So who has got it right - who is speaking plainly and who is speaking with a forked tongue?

What is Glasgow City Council's position when it comes to the WPBR - does the Council accept unequivocally that the scheme is discriminatory?

I think that claimants are entitled to ask this question of the Council Leader, Susan Aitken, and for the avoidance of doubt the Council's chief executive, Annemarie O'Donnell, as well.

If you'd like to email a question along the following lines to Susan Aitken and Annemarie O'Donnell, their respective email addresses are shown below.

Dear Susan/ Dear Annemarie

Glasgow's WPBR Pay Scheme

Can you please confirm that Glasgow City Council accepts the judgment of the Court of Session that the WPBR is 'unfit for purpose' and that the scheme discriminates against the Council's largely female workforce?"

Yours sincerely

A Glasgow Equal Pay Claimant

Susan Aitken's email address

Susan.Aitken@glasgow.gov.uk

Annemarie O'Donnell's email address:

 annemarie.odonnell@ced.glasgow.gov.uk

   

 By the way, Mhairi Hunter's full interview can be viewed via the link below to the Full Scottish and her comments on equal pay are about 6 minutes in.

Popular posts from this blog

Kentucky Fried Seagull

Hugh Fearnley Whitingstall is one of my favourite - and endearingly bonkers - TV chefs. The River Cottage chef has a some imaginative ideas for adding seagulls to the national diet - including a recipe for Kentucky Fried Seagull - would you believe. Here's what HFW has to say on the subjecy -  I think I'll contact Hugh - and ask if he'll join the TAPAS campaign. "Vermin with wings? Chicken of the sea? Or just an opportunity missed?" "First and foremost, before we all go on a mad seagull killing frenzy. In the U.K it is against the law to kill seagulls or interfere with their nests under the countryside and wildlife act. Some Councils are allowed to cull them however, and usually do this by either poisoning or shooting them. How to catch your seagull. Remember this is against the law in the U.K. I don't want the Men in Blue knocking at the door because someone said that Foodimum told them it was okay to catch and eat seagulls. It isn't... P
Read more

SNP Hypocrites Have No Shame

Image
Hi. https://t.co/yuA2cY109e — Brian Spusk (@BrianSpanner1) December 16, 2022 Brian Spanner (aka Brian Spusk) shares a tweet from the SNP's chief executive and husband of SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon) criticising secretive party donations. What a complete hoot - these hypocrites have no shame! Peter Murrell  @PeterMurrell "Anonymous political donations supposed to be a thing of the past. Yet Scottish Tories pocketed £319,000 from secretive trust with no fixed address or known current trustees. @Conservatives legally responsible for checking true identity of donors before accepting cash. #DarkMoney "  
Read more

Can Anyone Be A Woman?

Image
"All we ask... is FULL RIGHTS as women" 🤡 The legal lunacy that led to the recent Tickle V Giggle judgement was fought for as far back as the 30s. The Trans Takeover of Womanhood - 100 Years of Madness premieres this eve at UK time 🍿 https://t.co/1nzx8gxNA3 #Womanhood … pic.twitter.com/cZOkBrKPof — MrMenno 🏳️‍🌈🎶 (@MrMennoTweets) October 2, 2024 Mr Menno's response to the absurd 'Trans Takeover of Womanhood' - is intelligent, well researched and hilarious into the bargain. A must watch!    
Read more