Britain Needs...Better Unions



The TUC and other trade unions seem to be stepping up today their campaign of opposition to pay restraint in the public sector.

Under the theme of "Britain Needs a Pay Rise" rallies are taking place in London, Glasgow and Belfast and the Scottish TUC is taking part as well highlighting the fall in real terms wages since 2008.

Good luck to them I say and I might even wander along to Glasgow's George Square later to hear what the speakers at the rally have to say because what I'd like to know is what the STUC and its member trade unions haven't been holding similar protests in relation to equal pay - years ago.

Because the sums of money involved in equal pay are much more significant and the pay gap has been known about for years, yet the trade unions have been largely silent which is a very staging state of affairs.

For sure there have been no big TUC or STUC campaigns in support of equal pay over the past 10 years and that makes the trade unions look ridiculous, as if they only get 'brave' and start to pull out all the stops when the Conservatives are running the show at Westminster.

So if you ask me, as well as a pay rise Britain needs better, more progressive, less partisan and pro-Labour trade unions.


Ed Miliband and Equal Pay (4 September 2014)


The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, is in Scotland today, God save us!

Apparently he's a man with a mission, a mission to tell the unruly Scots that Labour has changed and that if we only vote No in the forthcoming independence referendum, then Labour will definitely win the 2015 general election and with Ed as Prime Minister all will be well with the world once again.

Well that's a load of old bollix if you ask me, because I heard Ed burbling away on the radio this morning, on his way from or to Blantyre in South Lanarkshire - the heart of darkness when it comes to equal pay.

Because this Labour led council fought the mother of all battles against equal pay for 10 whole years - in defence of male council jobs being paid much more than their female colleagues - until they were finally defeated by Action 4 Equality Scotland. 

The resulting settlement as reported in the press and media allegedly cost the Labour council over £70 million - and yet the Scottish Labour Party had nothing of substance to say on what amounts to a national scandal.

Yet Ed Miliband was the UK Labour leader throughout that period and his Scottish leader, Johann Lamont, has been in charge of events north of the border since 2011.

"So what's changed?" I ask myself, somewhat cynically.

Now if any readers of the blog site get the opportunity, I would ask Ed Miliband what he has to say about Labour's track record on equal pay and South Lanarkshire Council.

In fact I'd also ask him about North Lanarkshire Council as well, another Labour council which has made a complete mess of equal pay and has had to admit that senior managers have made fundamental 'mistakes' and 'errors' with the evaluation of thousands of female dominated jobs, such as Home Carers.

"So what do you say to that, Ed?" I would ask Mr Miliband given half a chance, but I suspect that a deafening silence would follow. 

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