Glasgow City Council Update

I get emails on a daily basis asking about the equal pay situation in Glasgow and if the City Council is likely to keep 'defending the indefensible' through the courts.  

Now the City Council has deep pockets for sure and in the past Scottish councils have spent public money very freely in a desperate effort to turn back the tide.

But a major consideration for the politicians in Glasgow is that the next round of local council elections is due next year, in May 2017. 

Now I can't see the ruling Labour administration going into those elections with equal pay hanging over its head although the City Council won't just roll over and run up the white flag.

So the challenge for A4ES and its 5,500 clients in Glasgow is to make equal pay a really big issue in the months ahead.

We need to harness the people power of thousands of council employees to persuade the politicians that this long-running saga of equal pay needs to be put to bed, for once and for all.

And that means everyone doing their bit and putting their shoulders to the wheel to get this message across, just as A4ES has done in other councils.

I've said many times on the blog site that 'many hands make light work' and so the more people who get involved in the campaign the sooner this will all be over. 

Glasgow City Council Update (06/05/11)

The fight for equal pay in Glasgow has been given a boost, potentially at least, by another clean sweep for the SNP.

As regular readers know, the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to call Scotland's foot-dragging councils to account in relation to equal pay and Nicola will have direct role to play as a local Glasgow MSP, as well as being able to 'crack the whip' as First Minister. 

Here are the email contact details for the Glasgow's eight new constituency MSPs and I hope this information will prove useful to everyone still fighting for equal pay in Glasgow, in the weeks ahead. 


Humza Yousaf - MSP for Glasgow Pollok

Email: Humza.Yousaf.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


Bill Kidd - MSP for Glasgow Anniesland

Email: Bill.Kidd.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


James Dornan - MSP for Glasgow Cathcart

Email: James.Dornan.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


Sandra White - MSP for Glasgow Kelvin

Email: Sandra.White.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


Bob Doris - MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn

Email: Bob.Doris.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


Ivan McKee - MSP for Glasgow Provan

Email: Ivan.Mckee.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

John Mason - MSP for Glasgow Shettleston

Email: John.Mason.msp@scottish.parliament.uk


Nicola Sturgeon - MSP for Glasgow Southside 

Email:Nicola.Sturgeon.msp@scottish.parliament.uk 

Dear MSP

Glasgow and Equal Pay

I circulated all Glasgow MSPs yesterday (Monday) with the latest post from my blog site regarding the long-running fight for equal pay in Glasgow City Council.

I am conscious that all existing Glasgow MSPs will be standing down later this week and that many, if not all, of you will be contesting the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections.

If you are standing as a candidate in the Holyrood elections and would like to make your views known regarding the equal pay position in Glasgow, please drop me a note as I am certain that the thousands of Glasgow-based readers of the blog site will be interested in what their candidate MSPs have to say. 

I can contacted at the following email address - markirvine@compuserve.com - and I am happy to keep candidates in Scottish Parliament elections briefed on further developments in the run up to 5 May 2016.

My blog site can be found at:www.action4equalityscotland.blogspot.com

Kind regards

Mark Irvine

Glasgow Update (25/03/16)

I wrote the other day about my letter to all Glasgow MSPs regarding the fight for which was sent before the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

I had a quick response from John Mason MSP which I found very disappointing, I have to say, because John's initial response was to raise concerns about how the Council would meet its equal pay obligations rather than looking at things from the point of view of his constituents who have been getting short-changed for many years.

So I replied to John by pointing out that Glasgow City Council has been aware of the position for years, that additional borrowing has been made available by the Scottish Government and that the rights of low paid women to equal pay cannot be set aside because of the Council's mismanagement of its pay arrangements over the years.

Now the SNP leader of the opposition group in Glasgow, Cllr Susan Aitken, had the right attitude if you ask me, so let's hope that all of Glasgow's SNP politicians are singing from the same hymn sheet soon.

Particularly as Humza Yousaf, another SNP MSP in Glasgow, responded by congratulating me for 'continuing this important fight'. 

John Mason MSP

-----Original Message-----

From: Mason J (John), MSP 
To: markirvine 
Sent: Tue, Mar 22, 2016 9:48 am
Subject: RE: Glasgow and Equal Pay

Thanks Mark

Today’s Herald suggested that Glasgow might have to pay out £100 million because of this.  However, I am not sure Glasgow has that kind of money lying around.  Would they have to close schools and leisure centres, reduce waste collection, or sack staff?

Regards

John

-----Original Message-----
From: markirvine
To: John.Mason.msp
Sent: Tue, Mar 22, 2016 9:56 am
Subject: Re: Glasgow and Equal Pay

Dear John

No, because the Council has been aware of this ongoing legal case for several years and have been planning for just such a contingency, as you would expect.

Not only that the Scottish Government has previously offered to increase council 'borrowing consents' to assist Scottish councils meet their obligations in respect of equal pay.

And at the end of the day, the rights of low paid women workers to equal pay cannot be set aside or qualified because of the Council's mismanagement over the years, as I'm sure you would agree.

Kind regards



Mark Irvine


Humza Yousaf MSP

-----Original Message-----
From: Yousaf H (Humza), MSP
To: markirvine
Sent: Tue, Mar 22, 2016 11:58 am
Subject: RE: Glasgow and Equal Pay

Dear Mark,

Many thanks for this very helpful update and well done to you and campaigners for continuing this important fight.

Best wishes,

Humza

Humza Yousaf MSP

MSP for Glasgow

Minister for Europe and International Development

I wrote to all Glasgow MSPs with news about the long-awaited Employment Appeal Tribunal decision and its implications for City Council employees.

I've already had a number of responses which I'll share on the blog site in the next day or so.

But even though the current batch of Glasgow MSPs is standing down there is, of course, nothing to stop those seeking re-election from making clear where they stand on this issue.

So if you ask me, the Glasgow candidates should all be put on the spot to explain their views in the run-up to the Scottish Parliament elections which are due to take place on Thursday 5th May 2016.

The most helpful comment I've seen, so far, came from the SNP leader of the opposition in Glasgow, Cllr Susan Aitken, who told The Herald that the Council should "come clean" about its responsibilities and settle the claims.

Councillor Aitken went on to add:

"The Council should have sought to do the right thing by these women when it emerged that the original claims may not have been adequately settled.

"Instead it may well have opened itself up to increased liability at a time when public finances are already under enormous pressure."

Well said, if you ask me.