Glasgow - Thunderbirds Are Go!

Now some people in very high places swore blind this day would never come.

At one point, a long time ago now, the bigwigs at Glasgow City Council even had the cheek to say to Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES): 

'Do your worst A4ES - we don't have a problem with equal pay!' 

But as regular readers know, settlement offers will definitely be posted out today - Thursday 23rd May 2019 - to thousands of Glasgow's equal pay claimants, after a long and very hard fought 12-year campaign.

So don't listen to the 'Naysayers' or 'Moaning Minnies' because from tomorrow onwards in Glasgow it's a case of 'Thunderbirds Are Go!'

  

Glasgow Settlement Offers (21/05/19)

So, the good news is that we are still on course for settlement offer letters going out on Thursday to Glasgow's equal pay claimants.

Karl B received the final 'proofs' yesterday and had a couple of amendments to make the documents easier to read.

If these changes are made today, as expected, then the letters to Claimants will definitely be dispatched on Thursday 23rd May 2019. 

  

Glasgow Equal Pay Claims (20/05/19)

Everyone has been patiently waiting for confirmation of when settlement offer letters will be sent to Claimants in Glasgow. 

The latest news is that this should happen next Thursday (23rd May) - or Friday (24th) May - at the latest.

A final check is taking place on Monday (20th) so we will only be able to say which day for certain next week, but this means we are still on course for settlement payments to be made in June 2019.

A4ES is organising special briefings sessions for clients who would appreciate some extra help completing their settlement documents.

More details on settlement offer letters will follow later today.

  

Glasgow's Equal Pay Rollercoaster (01/05/19)

So the Glasgow Claimants are back on the equal pay rollercoaster again after an unexpected delay to the settlement timetable.

Now this is a real pain in the arse because when dates are announced expectations rise and people start making plans, quite understandably. 

But at the same time it's not the end of the world - there has not been a breakdown in the process and everyone is still committed to the original aim of having settlement payments made in June. 

If you ask me, the Glasgow Claimants need and deserve some certainty, so let's hope HMRC get the message - and that there are no more surprises or last minute delays.

  

”Joint Claimant Statement On Settlement Offer Timeline

The tax arrangements covering all equal pay settlements in Glasgow have to be approved by HMRC, i.e. 'The Taxman'.

Now this has been known for some time, but the volume of financial information included in the settlements has meant that the process with HMRC has not yet concluded. This means there will be an unavoidable delay in sending out letters of settlement to the Claimants.

We need to emphasise this is no one's 'fault' because the Claimants' Representatives and the Council have been working very closely together in recent months to process all the settlement data, against the background of a big influx of new Claimants.

As you would expect, the Claimants' Side and the Council are doing everything we can to assist HMRC to resolve the outstanding issues as quickly as possible.

The upshot is that settlement letters will now be issued by the end of May 2019, although the good news is that the Council have agreed to 'pull out the stops' to speed up the payment side of things - which means that settlement payments will still begin in June 2019.

The net effect is that while we have lost time at the front end of the process (in terms of letters going out) the plan is to ensure that settlement payments still start according to the original timetable of June 2019.

This will mean rearranging the roadshows. We will be sending out a weekly update throughout May and June so that you get more details as soon as they are confirmed. This is all the information that we are able to provide at this current time."

  

Glasgow and Equal Pay - Riding the Rollercoaster (07/02/19)

Over the past couple of years Glasgow's fight for equal pay has felt a lot like riding a rollercoaster with its thrills and spills, stomach-churning ups and downs, and all too frequent twists and turns. 

But thankfully we have now reached the point where we all can climb off this 'runaway train' and get on with the rest of our lives.

Because agreement has finally been reached over the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which sets out the terms of the 'peace deal' with Glasgow City Council that will bring an end to its long-running equal pay dispute.

So a big Thank You! and Well Done! to everyone involved.

Today is a big day, one that's been 'a long time coming' as they say, but we got there in the end because of the Claimants and your big-hearted, unsparing, 'never say die' Glasgow support.

I can honestly say there has never been a campaign that comes close to matching Glasgow's long, hard battle to deliver equal pay for thousands of low paid City Council workers.