Unions to protest over Glasgow City Council equal pay plan

The deal which, if approved, will cost the council around £170million in backdated payments and around £65m in wages next year, is the result of eight years of negotiations.

Susan Aitken, council leader, accepted there will be some who lose out but the new system was necessary to protect the council from future claims and to create a system that is fair.

Unions however said those who see their pay going up are not being given enough compensation and those losing out will face considerable loss.

They also argue it could lead to future claims over equal pay from staff in female dominated roles.

The three unions are planning to protest outside the City Chambers on Thursday when councillors on the City Administration Committee are due to vote on the proposal.

Chris Sermanni, Unison Glasgow city branch secretary, said: “Unions have worked with the council for eight years to try and develop an equality-proofed job evaluation scheme that delivers fair pay for everyone. Despite our best efforts, the council’s proposals don’t come close to that”

“Thousands are facing significant financial loss, and it fails to fully compensate workers for the years of back pay owed. The phased implementation plans would leave one in five council employees on the old pay structure”

“Any new scheme must be equality-proofed and be properly funded.  If the council are serious about delivering equal pay, they must urgently seek significant investment. The council risks repeating the mistakes of the past”

“UNISON, Unite and GMB will be demonstrating outside the council on Thursday demanding councillors not to vote for these damaging proposals.”

There are a range of issues with the proposal that unions are opposed to.

The Joint Trade Unions said many workers still face financial detriment, the losses for certain groups are unacceptable and lower paid roles are disproportionately affected compared with higher grade posts.

The plan puts red circles against posts which will be on a lower salary as a result of the changes.

The unions state: “The overall package demonstrates – grades A-E represents 1637 red circled while grades F-L represent 351 of red circled.”

A Joint Trade Union Committee report for GMB, Unison and Unite, on the plans, states: “The JTUs have grave concerns over the level of financial detriment faced by workers, the assimilation and backpay arrangements, and the inadequate pay protection provisions.”

It states: “The JTU position is that the structure does not deliver a fair outcome for all employees and further significant investment is urgently required.”

On future-proofing it states: “The JTUs have highlighted parts of this proposal which push female dominated roles into detriment – this will result in further claimants and larger settlements required due to the gaps between claimant and comparators.”