North Lanarkshire Update


Readers from North Lanarkshire continue to get in touch over the strange goings on in relation to the GMB union and equal pay.

Apparently there are over 500 GMB members involved and so there's an awful lot at stake, as you can imagine.

But for the life of me I can't think of a good reason for any union to restrict the claims of its members to only three years. 



Back in February I wrote about some rather odd reports to do with equal pay, the GMB trade union and North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) - see post below dated 23 February 2015.

Since then there have been other potentially significant developments and a number of GMB members have been in touch to say that their equal pay claims against NLC appear to have been restricted to the 3-year 'protection period' which is referred to under the 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement.

Now if this is correct, then the claims of GMB members would be be for the three year period from January 2007 until only January 2010.

Whereas the claims of Action 4 equality Scotland (A4ES) clients, for example, runs all the way from January 2007 to 31 March 2015 and there is also the possibility of a further claim once various council jobs in NLC have been re-evaluated.

What is clear is that the GMB were not party to the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed with North Lanarkshire Council by Action 4 Equality Scotland, Fox and Partners Solicitors, Unison and Unite.

So the GMB appear to have gone off on their own and there are lots of members in North Lanarkshire who are now seeking a proper explanation about exactly what has been going.

And why GMB members appear not to have been consulted over the very different approach their union has been taking over their equal claims.

If readers in NLC have any further information, drop me a note (in confidence of course) to - markirvine@compuserve.com


North Lanarkshire Update (23/02/15)


A number of readers from North Lanarkshire have been in touch to say that the GMB union has allegedly cut its own separate deal on behalf of members who have outstanding equal pay claims agains the Council.

Now I don't have any of the details, but if this report is correct then it would be useful to know exactly what the GMB has been up to and the basis of any deal that the union has reached with NLC.

If the GMB has broken ranks, I can't see how a separate deal can be one that's in the interests of ordinary union members.

So any light that readers in North Lanarkshire can shine on things would be very welcome.   

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