Ask Annemarie!
Here's a question that some of Glasgow's equal pay claimants way wish to put to the City Council's chief executive, Annemarie O'Donnell.
Dear Annemarie
Can you please explain why your recent letter to council employees regarding industrial action on 23 and 24 October ended with the following sentence.
"As we have said publically (sic) many times – there will be a settlement offer from the council in December; at least for all of those still at the table."
In my view your choice of words is very unprofessional and it is not the kind of threatening language I would expect to hear from the Council's most senior official.
Yours sincerely
A Glasgow Equal Pay Claimant
'Ask Annemarie' (03/09/18)
Here's another topical question for Annemarie O'Donnell, chief executive of Glasgow City Council:
Dear Annemarie
Do you think you could give me a straight answer to the following question:
Do you accept with the Court of Session's judgment that the Council's WPBR is 'unfit for purpose' and that the scheme discriminates against the Council's largely female workforce?
Yours sincerely
A Glasgow Equal Pay Claimant
What does it say about the approach of senior council officials to equal pay settlement negotiations, if the council's chief executive cannot answer YES to this question?
'Ask Annemarie' (06/06/18)
Here's another topical question that equal pay claimants might like to ask the chief executive of Glasgow City Council, Annemarie O'Donnell - see post below on 'Glasgow's Bold New Equal Pay Initiative' dated 5th June 2018.
Dear Annemarie
In 2017 your remuneration package with Glasgow City Council came to an eye-watering and record high of £252,860.
Along with other senior officials in Glasgow you defended the WPBR pay scheme 'tooth and nail' for many years and, in my opinion, a remuneration package of £252,860 is tantamount to 'rewarding failure'.
Yours sincerely
A Second Class Member of the Glasgow 'Council Family'
The 'Ask Annmarie' equal pay hotline can be reached at the following email address - AnneMarie@glasgow.gov.uk - and keep your suggestions coming as I'll share thermal on the blog site.
Dear Annemarie
Can you explain how senior council officials who defended the WPBR for so many years can now be trusted to oversee the introduction of new, open and transparent pay arrangements which command the support of the Council's largely female workforce?
Yours sincerely
A Second Class Member of the Glasgow 'Council Family'
Glasgow's Bold New Equal Pay Initiative - 'Ask Annemarie' (05/06/18)
Here's the latest communication from Annemarie O'Donnell, Glasgow City Council's chief executive, who fought tooth and nail to defend the 'unfit for purpose' WPBR for years - and who is still refusing to explain how senior council officials acted in 'good faith' when this cockamamy pay scheme was introduced back in 2007.
I think you can tell this whole business of 'coming clean' about the WPBR is beginning to get under Annemarie's skin because her latest missive to the workforce tries to airbrush Action 4 Equality Scotland right out of the picture, as if we don't exist, even though A4ES represents the largest number of equal pay claimants in Glasgow.
Now there will be more to follow about Annemarie soon, as I recently registered a formal complaint with the CEO over what I regard as the Council's unprofessional behaviour in relation to freedom of information (FOI).
Sooner or later the penny must drop that the discredited senior council officials responsible for introducing and defending the WPBR and Glasgow's ALEOs - are part of the problem when it comes to equal pay not part of the solution!
So maybe readers would like to drop a note to Annemarie along the following lines to her new 'Ask Annmarie' equal pay hotline - AnneMarie@glasgow.gov.uk
Dear Annemarie
Can you explain how senior council officials who defended the WPBR for so many years can now be trusted to oversee the introduction of new, open and transparent pay arrangements which command the support of the Council's largely female workforce?
Yours sincerely
A Second Class Member of the Glasgow 'Council Family'
I wish you well although in my experience the problem lies not in asking Annemarie topical questions - but in getting straight answers out of the council's CEO.
If any readers have a 'Question for Annemarie', send me your suggestions and I'll share the details on the blog site - in confidence of course.
Subject: Equal pay claims and pay and grading review - message from Annemarie O'Donnell
I want to give you an update about the council’s commitment to resolving equal pay claims and making sure that we have a fair pay and grading system for everyone who works for the council in the future. I’m committed to keeping you informed about anything that could affect you in the future, even before we know the exact details about what this will mean to you.
As part of the ongoing equal pay claim negotiations, we have now agreed with our trade unions that we need to replace our current workforce pay and grading system and conduct a review to consider the alternatives open to the council to make sure that everyone is paid equally for equal work in the future.
A paper is being prepared, in consultation with the trade unions, to ask the City Administration Committee for a decision to carry out the review and that is likely to be before summer recess. We anticipate that it will take several months to complete the review and depending on the outcome, fully implementing the changes could take a number of years.
Although everyone who works in a non-teaching job in the council could be affected by this review, it won’t necessarily mean that everyone will experience a change to their pay and benefits.
Once the report for the City Administration Committee is available I will be in touch to tell you about the content and then again once the decision has been made about implementing the review.
As always, I am grateful for the work that you all do for Glasgow and its citizens. Although this will feel like an uncertain time, what won’t change is the type and quality of work that you all do to make this city better every day.
If you have any questions you can email me at Ask Annemarie
Regards
Annemarie O’Donnell
Chief Executive
If any readers have a 'Question for Annemarie', send me your suggestions and I'll share the details on the blog site - in confidence of course.
Subject: Equal pay claims and pay and grading review - message from Annemarie O'Donnell
I want to give you an update about the council’s commitment to resolving equal pay claims and making sure that we have a fair pay and grading system for everyone who works for the council in the future. I’m committed to keeping you informed about anything that could affect you in the future, even before we know the exact details about what this will mean to you.
As part of the ongoing equal pay claim negotiations, we have now agreed with our trade unions that we need to replace our current workforce pay and grading system and conduct a review to consider the alternatives open to the council to make sure that everyone is paid equally for equal work in the future.
A paper is being prepared, in consultation with the trade unions, to ask the City Administration Committee for a decision to carry out the review and that is likely to be before summer recess. We anticipate that it will take several months to complete the review and depending on the outcome, fully implementing the changes could take a number of years.
Although everyone who works in a non-teaching job in the council could be affected by this review, it won’t necessarily mean that everyone will experience a change to their pay and benefits.
Once the report for the City Administration Committee is available I will be in touch to tell you about the content and then again once the decision has been made about implementing the review.
As always, I am grateful for the work that you all do for Glasgow and its citizens. Although this will feel like an uncertain time, what won’t change is the type and quality of work that you all do to make this city better every day.
If you have any questions you can email me at Ask Annemarie
Regards
Annemarie O’Donnell
Chief Executive
