Stefan Lays It On The Line

Stefan Cross lays things on the line with this fiercely honest post about settlement negotiations with Glasgow City Council.

The truth is that no one knows for sure what the Council is up to because it's behaving so erratically these days.

In the recent past Council Leader, Susan Aitken, has made public statements reassuring the claimants that they will be properly compensated and will get what they are 'due' after being exploited for years under the WPBR.

Yet, more recently, council officials have been suggesting that a settlement will be based on what the Council says it can 'afford'.

In the recent past the Council leadership has condemned the WPBR as discriminatory and agreed that the 'unfit for purpose' scheme has to go.

Yet, more recently, council officials have been suggesting that they will defend the WPBR and its notorious 37 hour 'rule' if settlement negotiations break down and Glasgow's equal pay claims head back to the Employment Tribunals.

So who's in charge in Glasgow - the Council Leader says that senior officials are always work under 'political direction' in which case these unhelpful, contradictory remarks must have some backing from the politicians.

In any event, Stefan has explained very clearly where things stand and that any 'low ball offer' from the Council in the days ahead will be rejected because the Claimants deserve to be properly compensated for the pay and pensions they've lost from 12 years (and counting) of the WPBR. 


  

LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR MAMMA SAYS!

OR WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE POLL


Actually it wasn’t my mother, it was a Mark Irvine.

Don’t listen to comments. Mark disabled comments on his blog because of negativity from a small but loud minority.

Well I was warned ......

FIRST poll result : 88% say No 12% say yes.

Good. Solidarity remains strong.

Second - too many of you think I’m more devious than I am. Trying to second guess either my motives or the state of the negotiations is a mugs game. No reading between the lines. It was just a poll.

Third - there are some frustrated and angry folk amongst the group. I don’t think I can ever please them. I wish I could and maybe I spend too much time trying.

Fourth, there are some right clever ones too. Some very perceptive questions.

Fifth - THERE IS NO OFFER. YET. NOT 50%/75% or any other number.

SIXTH - I would never recommend only 50% (unless there were massive risks of getting less, but that doesn’t apply here)

SEVENTH - if there was a very high vote for taking the money it would be a factor the claimant team would have to consider. Didn’t happen but I still think it’s worth taking the temperature from time to time.

EIGHTH - quite a few of you are frustrated at the lack of information and some are going as far as making wild allegations about being “silenced”. I understand the frustration. It’s not easy for me either. I just know a blow by blow account would destroy the negotiations. The council think we share too much. They would like less. Sorry but you’re just going to have to trust us.

Now some reminders that some won’t like

THERE IS NO “SUM DUE”. If there was there wouldn’t need to be negotiations. We knocked out the JES but there’s nothing in its place so no one has agreed comparators or agreed grades nor agreed pay differentials. It is literally impossible for someone to say I’m due £XYZ.

SO THERE ISNT A FIXED 100% number. There’s what we think your due IF IF IF what we think should be the position is accepted by a tribunal at a. Icy later date. The only way to get a definitive number is to take all remaining issues through tribunal for all 300 claimant jobs and at least 30 comparators jobs. That would take another 10 years not 3.(and no I’m not exaggerating)

So please stop saying “just give us what we’re due”. The negotiations are intended to reach an agreed position of what that should be. It is not a fixed answer.

So when an offer is made what we will do is tell you what % we think that offer represents compared to what we think is achievable in tribunal. But it’s not a magic number just our educated assessment.

You WILL NOT GET 100% - EVER. Why? because it’s a negotiation, balancing our numbers vs their numbers and the risk that the other sides numbers might be right.

And there are masses of variables. Grade, WCD, Nswp , hours, interest etc. Etc.

If you think I’m wrong then l’ll ask you to set out how your “sum due” is calculated. Some answers might be interesting.

So now I’ve lit the blue touch paper again. And Mamma Irvine is gonna tell me off again.


Stefan Cross