I Come From a Land Down Under!
Stefan Cross provided this excellent summary of where things stand with Glasgow City Council after the first settlement discussion meeting of the New Year.
Now if you ask me, everyone's entitled to a good holiday and politicians often get slammed, quite unfairly, for being abroad when things get very tense or go wrong - and that's why their senior officials are paid such high salaries.
WAITING FOR ... SUSAN
So we had our third meeting with the council and the first following the Court of Session comprehensive dismissal of their leave to appeal application. We asked if the council had reconsidered its position. We were told that the officers position remained the same and they believed they had until 18th January to lodge an application to the Supreme Court but they were preparing a new “timeline” for the council.
As the leader, Susan Aitken, had not yet returned from Australia and councillors were still on recess until 16th January they still didn’t have instructions.
We again tried to query the bizarre suggestion that a full council had to make this decision but without success. They agreed to keep,us informed.
So we wait on Susan’s return to see if the appeal saga goes on or not.
In the meantime it had been agreed at the second meeting on 11th December that all claimant groups would exchange pay calculations relating to the protection period by 4th January 2018.
So, speaking personally, I couldn't give two hoots if Susan Aitken is in Ozland, Timbuktu or Inverness, if that's when Glasgow finally comes to its senses and accepts the Court of Session's decision that its cockamamy WPBR pay scheme is unlawful and 'unfit for purpose'.
After all, everyone has email and mobile telephones these days - what's more shocking to me is that Glasgow's largest council is apparently in recess until 16 February 2018!
Anyway, to take everyone's mind off this madness here's one of my favourite tracks of all time - Men at Work and 'Land Down Under'.
WAITING FOR ... SUSAN
So we had our third meeting with the council and the first following the Court of Session comprehensive dismissal of their leave to appeal application. We asked if the council had reconsidered its position. We were told that the officers position remained the same and they believed they had until 18th January to lodge an application to the Supreme Court but they were preparing a new “timeline” for the council.
As the leader, Susan Aitken, had not yet returned from Australia and councillors were still on recess until 16th January they still didn’t have instructions.
We again tried to query the bizarre suggestion that a full council had to make this decision but without success. They agreed to keep,us informed.
So we wait on Susan’s return to see if the appeal saga goes on or not.
In the meantime it had been agreed at the second meeting on 11th December that all claimant groups would exchange pay calculations relating to the protection period by 4th January 2018.
Only Action 4 Equality Scotland managed to provide their figures. So the main reason for the meeting had to be put off.
In the meantime Unison said they will have theirs done this week and GMB said they’d try and do theirs by the end of next week. These will then be discussed at the next meeting on 25th January
We again pressed the council for outstanding disclosure and they said they had resources issues but promised to review these and come back with a timetable. The rest of the meeting was mainly admin stuff but I’m sure other reps will be circulating updates to their members.
So we wait..... one of my fav oz pics basically summing up the meeting!
Stefan Cross
We again pressed the council for outstanding disclosure and they said they had resources issues but promised to review these and come back with a timetable. The rest of the meeting was mainly admin stuff but I’m sure other reps will be circulating updates to their members.
So we wait..... one of my fav oz pics basically summing up the meeting!
Stefan Cross
