Glasgow Equal Pay Group
Glasgow Equal Pay Group Calls For Leadership Intervention As Officials Refuse To Meet Over Failing Job Evaluation And Settlement Process
“Glasgow’s outstanding equal pay liability is an estimated £320 million and will increase by £100 million a year for every year it remains unresolved.” That’s the warning issued by the Glasgow Equal Pay Joint Claimant Group today (Wednesday 31 March) as they called on council leader Susan Aitken to intervene over failing job evaluation and refusal to engage in agreed settlement talks.
In a letter to the Councillor Aitken, claimant representatives expressed concerns over the failure of officials to meet with them and progress negotiations for the council’s replacement job evaluation scheme, which was set for 31 March 2021, leaving in place the current discriminatory scheme, but also delays the settlement of up to 18,000 equal pay claims.
As part of the 2019 settlement process, which delivered over £500 million in equal pay awards, the joint claimant group agreed to sist legal proceedings with the council to focus on a negotiated replacement of the current job evaluation scheme, which ends tomorrow, Thursday 1 April.
Council officials indicated a delay of ten months for the completion of a new job evaluation scheme. However, trade union claimant representatives believe unless there is intervention and support for additional resources, this will not be completed before April 2023, and are calling on Councillor Aitken to act.
GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith:
“Glasgow’s outstanding equal pay liability is an estimated £320 million and will increase by £100 million a year for every year it continues to remain unresolved – it’s a time bomb for the city and its finances.
“That’s why we are urging Councillor Aitken to personally intervene now, so we can kick-start the process of ending the chronic sex discrimination of working women in Glasgow City Council.
“The gulf between the council officials and the elected leadership is growing again. The failure of officials to meet with the joint claimant group to progress the replacement of the discriminatory job evaluation scheme and settle these residual claims is deeply concerning.
“The aim was to complete the new job evaluation scheme now, at the very least it should be well down the road, and we should be working towards the delivery of settling all outstanding equal pay claims, but instead the liabilities are growing along with the burden on the city.
“Left unchallenged, not only is the council stalling on tackling discrimination and the delivery of justice, but with each passing day its ability to resolve this scandal on its own diminishes as the liability grows.”
ENDS
Contact: Rhea Wolfson, GMB Scotland Women’s Campaign Unit, on 07850 575023, or GMB Scotland Communications on 07976 447077 / email: gmbscotcampaigns@gmb.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
The Glasgow Equal Pay Joint Claimant Group consists of Action 4 Equality, GMB Scotland, Unison Scotland, and Unite Scotland.
