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UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY HIGHLAND
COUNCIL!
Unhappy Birthday for Highland Council Equal
Pay Claimants UNISON, the public service union, is to take its campaign
for pay equality direct to decision makers at Highland Council.
Highland Council agreed to offer compensation to large numbers of their
low paid women -workers who had been excluded from receiving bonus
payments unlike their male comparators paid on the same grades. In
receiving compensation, each worker had to sign an agreement waiving their
rights to bring claims to the Employment Tribunal (ET). However, these
agreements expired on the 30 September 2006.
A year on, the council has still to address the direct discrimination
against these and other workers and is still paying bonus to men but not
to large numbers of women on the same grade. A new pay and grading scheme
is also still awaited as part of the Single Status Agreement.
Liz MacKay, Branch Secretary of UNISON Highland Branch said "UNISON
was able to increase the level of compensation paid to many of our members
and provided advice at all the signing sessions held by Highland Council.
However, it is extremely disappointing that a year on, the discrimination
which caused the council to pay out millions of pounds to low paid women
workers still exists. This situation is simply not acceptable to
UNISON so we're taking our campaign directly to councillors, and in
particular, the council administration in a bid to get the issue
addressed".
Regional Organiser for UNISON in the Highlands, Ken Matthews said, "UNISON
has lodged hundreds of equal pay claims on behalf of a wide range of
members at ET. Every week, we're lodging further claims on behalf of
existing and indeed, new members. Our strategy has been consistently
to try to negotiate a settlement on equal pay, but to use legal action if
the negotiations don't succeed. We are therefore calling on the
councillors, and the administration to meet with UNISON so we can get this
resolved. Our members are not prepared to wait any longer than they have
to for pay that they are owed. These low paid women are effectively
subsidising the council. Let's be clear, if we don't get a
negotiated agreement, we will continue to pursue the council through the
courts".
UNISON has participated in talks between Highland Council and trades
unions over a new single status agreement. Formal proposals are still
awaited from the council on a new pay and grading scheme. UNISON is
calling on councillors to meet the union in order to seek a negotiated
agreement on the settling of equal pay claims and on a new pay and grading
scheme
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2008 LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY AND CONDITIONS OF
SERVICE CLAIM
The current pay award expires on 31st March 2008 for those
employed by Highland Council, the Assessors and the fire and Rescue
Service currently covered by the APT&C or Manual pay scales i.e. those who
are subject to job evaluation. Some other employers e.g. Inverness Leisure
honour the local government settlement for their staff also. The claim
which has been agreed by the joint Trade Union Sides will be submitted to
COSLA at the annual meeting on 13th and 14th
November 2007.
The claim seeks:
· That the settlement should run for a period of one (1) year with effect from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009.
· An increase on all Spinal Column Points of £0.51835 per hour (The equivalent of £1.000 per annum) or 5% whichever is the greater.
· An increase in annual leave entitlement by three days resulting in amending the first sentence in paragraph 7.3 of part 2 to read: “The minimum paid full annual leave entitlement is twenty three days.” (Excluding all Public Holidays)
· An additional one day’s public holiday.
Separate claims are lodged for
Chief Officers (principally the Chief Executive and Directors) whose pay
award is also due on 1st April 2008 and for craftworkers whose
settlement is overdue. They will receive an award backdated to 1st
July 2007 and when more information is received it will be advised to
these groups.
Pay claims will also be submitted for members employed by other
organisations and consultation with them will take place as appropriate.
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