Glasgow - 'Fighting vs Marching' Over Equal Pay



The good news is that there's no big news to report today, so the marathon equal pay settlement talks with Glasgow City Council have not yet broken down - we're still 'marching' and not 'fighting', as they say!

 Whether this will continue for very long into the New Year is anyone's guess though, I have to say, I have my doubts since  the differences between the two sides must be significant instead of just being about tying up a couple of 'loose ends', as Annemarie O'Donnell implied in her latest 'Council Family' email.

 No-one is saying what the sticking points are which is understandable because it's been a very long year, everyone is tired, nerves and tempers are frayed - and there seems to be no point in riling things up just before Christmas.

 So a further round of meetings is being arranged for the early part of January 2019 in an effort to see if these differences can be overcome, even though the Council Leader promised things would all be wrapped up before Christmas 2018.

 Now this is worth trying if you ask me, because if negotiations do break down again, the only alternatives are going back to the Employment Tribunals (a process that  is already underway) and potentially more industrial action which is, of course, a matter for the trade unions.

 The Claimants Side is clear about what they want - they want a settlement based on the pay and pensions people have lost for the past 12 years (and counting) of working under the 'unfit for purpose' WPBR. 

 What they don't want - and what they're not prepared to accept - is a settlement based on what the Council 'says' it can afford along with a whole load of strings attached.

 The Council seems to be back-pedalling on its previous commitment to ensure that low paid workers get the compensation they are 'due', but maybe a break over Christmas and the New Year will do everyone a bit of good and encourage the Council Side to reflect on where we go from here.

 I hope so because unless something gives soon, I suspect we'll be 'fighting' again rather than 'marching' in 2019. 

 

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