There are two recurring themes on our Facebook page we would like to address – Equal Pay delays and the relevance of the General Election.

On delay. When UNISON rejected single status in 2006 we moved into the latest phase of what has been a 20 year UNISON campaign for pay equality. This phase of “second wave” legal action has lasted eight years. The union has made a massive financial investment in this project along with an investment of time and effort by activists and staff. We sincerely believe that the various measures agreed with the council will compensate claimants for the historic problems and move the council into a new era of pay equality. Converting that agreement into benefit for claimants is taking longer than expected but members should be assured that every effort is being made to get the job done and to get it done right. We receive daily reports on the process and problems are micro managed as we get ready for mass communication with claimants. Around 50 claimants will receive calls and letters seeking very specific additional information in the next couple of days. Please ensure you reply promptly if you receive a data request. This exercise is expected to be the last step in processing the 4500 cases.

On the general election. This is quite straightforward. Councils in Scotland include political parties of every colour. Similarly, the Scottish Executive or Scottish Government has had all the significant political parties in positions of control during the Single Status and Equal Pay process. We can say with absolute certainty that no political party can claim credit for moving this issue forward. It has been the claimants and their representatives who have driven this process. Vote how you want, and be sure to use your vote. But don’t believe anyone who tells you that one party has a better record than another on equal pay. It simply is not true.

John Mooney
Branch Secretary