Single Status, Job Evaluation and Equal Pay news from Labour Union Digest

Bin collectors in Torbay threaten strike 08/02/10

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:58:20 +0000

A union is preparing to ballot bin collectors in Torbay over industrial action. It follows the rejection of an appeal against a job review which means the workers, who earn about 14k a year, are facing cuts of up to 900 pounds a year. The review, intended to give equal pay for equal work, means a salary shake-up for 1,300 of 3,800 staff.

Bournemouth Council Staff face swingeing pay cuts 08/02/10

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:56:17 +0000

One in five workers at Bournemouth Borough Council are facing a 20 per cent pay cut following a pay review. The cuts are part of the Council's Single Status pay and grading review. According to a local council worker, who did not want to be named, hundreds of staff are facing thousands of pounds being wiped off their salaries.

Single Status victory for the Leeds refuse workers 29/11/09

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:51:13 +0000

Hundreds of Leeds refuse workers have voted to return to work after a stunning victory over council bosses. Around 600 refuse workers and street cleaners at Leeds City Council started indefinite strike action at the beginning of September, causing a huge back up of refuse in the City as well as severe disruption to street cleansing.

Leeds Refuse workers strike 04/10/09

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 12:48:40 +0100

GMB Central Executive Council provide 10,000 to hardship fund for victimised workers facing pay cuts and launch appeal to all 3,000 GMB Branches for support for the Leeds strikers GMB today disclosed that the Lib Dem/Tory administration in Leeds City Council failed to collect almost 17 million in unpaid Council and Business taxes in the year to 31st Match 2009. The figures are as follow: uncollected Council Tax £9,247,000; uncollected non domestic rates 7,484,000; a total uncollected taxes of 16,731,000. The figures are from the Department of Communities and Local Government and are from the tax year 2008/9.

Leeds refuse workers strike against pay cuts 04/10/09

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 12:42:48 +0100

Six hundred workers employed in refuse collection, street cleansing and waste management in Leeds have been on all-out strike since September 7. They are protesting against the plans of Leeds City Council to cut their wages by up to 6,000pounds a year on the spurious pretext of an equality re-grading scheme. Pickets have been posted at all council cleansing depots and a mass meeting of strikers on September 10 voted unanimously to continue with the strike until the council withdraws the cuts.

Strike over 6000pound pay cuts for Leeds City cleaning staff about to go into fifth week 04/10/09

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 12:36:03 +0100

GMB and Unison have announced that they will hold a benefit gig and rally at the O2 Academy in Leeds on the 18th October 2009 to support the 600 striking cleaning workers who are about to enter their 5th week of strike. The Lib Dem/Tory administration of Leeds City Council want to cut their pay by 6,000pounds a year as a way of introducing equal pay.

Single Status hell in Leeds-Report by Streethawk Jim Jarrett 14/09/09

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:50:48 +0100

So single status hell has finally hit Leeds. Poor Loiners aren’t getting their bins emptied! Shock Horror! When it hit Calderdale it barely registered a media blip! At the start of this year Calderdale had a contented and highly motivated workforce in its Parks and Streetscene Department. Now as final pay deductions loom in October people are going on long term sickness with stress, those who can get out to better jobs are doing so, and those that remain are demotivated, demoralized and despondent.

Leeds refuse workers go on strike 21/08/09

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:38:18 +0100

Refuse collectors in Leeds have voted to go on strike in a dispute over job cuts and pay. Members of the GMB union are unhappy over the council's proposals to slash their pay by up to £5,000 per year from February 2011. Neil Derrick of the GMB union said he feared the industrial action would be "long and bitter" until the council committed to modernisation plans.

Glasgow refuse dispute over after deal struck 18/08/09

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:44:25 +0100

A dispute that could have led to rubbish mounting on the streets of Glasgow is off after unions voted to accept a last ditch offer from the city council. The Herald understands there was a normal majority among GMB and Unite membership to accept the deal, which will see them getting 10 weeks during the year when the four days on, four days off rota will not apply. The deal will also see the establishment of a working group to monitor the implementation of the new regime.

Single Status: Dumfries and Galloway staff accept latest offer 18/08/09

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:42:51 +0100

The overwhelming majority of Dumfries and Galloway local government staff have voted to end a long running single status/job regrading dispute. Voting figures released by the unions showed 75 per cent of the Unison membership turned out with 89.6 accepting the offer. The GMB turnout was 50 per cent with 93 per cent in favour while 61 per cent of the Unite membership voted with 94 per cent in favour.

Lancashire County council braced for 500 tribunal claims 18/08/09

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:41:25 +0100

COUNTY Hall bosses face a flood of potentially costly equal pay claims as almost 500 staff plan to take them to tribunals for compensation. Lancashire County Council is in the process of drawing up new pay scales for many of its 25,000 staff as part of a drive to equalise the salaries of mens and women’s salaries.

Single Status protests bring city centre to a standstill 31/07/09

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:50:01 +0100

Traffic in Brighton and Hove city centre has been brought to a standstill by a blockade by dustcarts, recycling lorries and street cleaning vehicles. GMB union members in 40 vehicles demonstrated outside the city council offices in Grand Avenue, Hove before moving in convoy to Brighton seafront. The union was protesting about the imposition of savage pay cuts which could see 800 workers lose up to 8,000 pounds a year, a huge and life altering amount.

Equal pay claim could cost Cumbria County Council 160million 30/07/09

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:40:15 +0100

THE bill for settling an equal-pay claim at Cumbria County Council could top 160m, four times as much as the council was expecting to pay out. Around 3,000 female cooks and care workers argue they have been employed on less-favourable terms than men doing equivalent work. The council offered £40m in April to settle the claim. But now Stefan Cross Solicitors, which represents 70 of the women, has advised its clients to reject the deal. A letter says: We think the proposals are awful and should not be accepted. We strongly recommend you reject the offer. The average settlement is 25 per cent of the value of the claims. Most of the women are represented by the GMB or Unison unions rather than by Stefan Cross Solicitors.

Equal pay claims are made simpler by court 18/04/09

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:20:20 +0100

Tens of thousands of equal-pay claimants whose employment cases have been on hold for years should be able to progress thanks to a landmark legal ruling. The Appeal Court in England and Wales has simplified future equal-pay claims by removing the stipulation that employees put full details of their claims and male earning comparators in writing to their employer. It was one of two judgements last week that unions say will allow some 30,000 people in Scotland to progress their stalled cases.

GMB Scotland Refusing To Discriminatory pay offer by Aberdeen City Council

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:17:11 +0100

GMB Scotland is refusing to accept an offer at Aberdeen City Council which it believes discriminates against women who work for the council. The offer, which proposes a one-off lump sum payment to buyout the protected earnings of predominantly male occupational groups, was made last week. GMB has been asked to enter in to a collective agreement on this offer and to confirm the Union’s position today, Wednesday 15th April 2009.

Unions fear pay scheme trickery 17/04/09

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:15:53 +0100

Union leaders have accused city leaders of sneaking staff pay cuts in through the back door. They say Portsmouth City Council's plans to axe extra pay for staff working evenings and weekends will leave hundreds of workers out of pocket. The move comes as staff are being asked to sign up to a controversial new single status pay deal.

Women set for equality pay outs 17/04/09

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:14:19 +0100

Dozens of women are in line for compensation after winning their case for equal pay against a council. Twelve test claimants including cooks, cleaners and care assistants submitted claims to an employment tribunal against Sunderland City Council. It related to productivity bonuses paid to male employees in male-dominated jobs like gardeners and road sweepers, which were not paid to the women. The pay-out amount has not been set and the council is considering appealing. Paul Doran, from Stefan Cross Solicitors which represented the women, said the judgement would affect about 150 women.

Legal threat over equal pay plan 17/04/09

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:13:03 +0100

A union has warned of possible legal action over an equal pay deal for women working for Aberdeen City Council. Workers in predominantly male roles are to be downgraded but the council has agreed to protect salaries for three years. The authority now wants to buy out these protected payments with a lump sum payout.

Glasgow council workers strike to save pay enters 15th week 16/04/09

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:04:45 +0100

The Glasgow community service supervisors’ strike is now in its 15th week and the city wide Unison union branch ballot is continuing. Around 10,000 Unison members are being consulted on three days of strike action at the end of April to defend several hundred workmates who will face pay cuts when single status pay protection ends.

Single Status, Faith Schools in Brighton face severe disruption as support staff are balloted on industrial action

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:06:03 +0100

Talks between Unions and Council bosses have broken down over school support staff working for Faith Schools in Brighton and Hove. The staff have been excluded, on a technicality, from receiving same back pay as their equivalents working in non-faith schools under job evaluations. In the past few weeks the council has made single status pay-outs to hundreds of workers, including teaching assistants, cleaners and office staff at the city’s non-faith schools.

GMB Tells Members In Cumbria To Wait For Advice On Possible Equal Pay Offer From Cumbria County Council 10/04/09

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:57:34 +0100

Yesterday, Cumbria County Council issued a Press Release to all staff and the public that they will be making a formal offer to the Trade Unions of a sum approaching £40M to settle long-standing equal pay claims. Ged Caid GMB Regional Officer has advised GMB members as follows It is correct that there have been recent negotiations with the employer to explore the possibility of the employer putting forward a settlement that we would consider capable of being put before our Members.

Unison scores second legal victory in a week for equal pay cases 10/04/09

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:55:01 +0100

Unison, the public service union, today celebrated its second victory in a week for equal pay cases at the court of appeal, affecting thousands of women working for the NHS and local authorities. The court ruled in favour of 7,000 nurses, healthcare assistants, clerical and secretarial staff, caterers, care assistants and cleaners. Their employers Suffolk mental health trust and Sandwell metropolitan borough council resisted their complaints about unequal pay on the grounds that the women did not provide details about men doing equivalent work who were paid more.

Council workers balloted on equal pay row strike 10/04/09

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:51:49 +0100

THOUSANDS of council workers in Glasgow are being balloted on strike action in a row over equal pay. Just over 9000 members of Unison have received ballot papers asking them whether they are willing to walk out. The dispute is over problems with job evaluation, back pay claims and protection entitlements. A strike would affect schools, nurseries, social work and cleansing. advertisement The union claims the council reneged on a promise not to cut wages and that up to 400 workers are affected. This has been rejected by the council, which estimates that only 42 people have to accept a deal and they had been made the "best offer" possible.

New equal pay offer in Shetland 10/04/09

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:50:42 +0100

A new equal pay deal has been put on the table for the majority of employees of Shetland Islands Council. An extra £4m is on offer to introduce a uniform set of terms and conditions for staff. Unions are set to ballot their members early next month, and the council could approve the new single status package in May.

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Scotland to investigate pay and grading at Glasgow city Council 10/04/09

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:46:23 +0100

GMB Scotland welcomes the EHRC’s decision in Scotland to investigate the pay and grading system that Glasgow City Council decided to introduce in 2007 against GMBs advice. We told our members at the time that we thought it was discriminatory and that is why GMB has been pursuing over 700 equal pay claims for our women members against this council. Glasgow should now do the sensible thing by paying what they owe their women employees

Equal pay time bomb could cost Scottish councils 1 billion pounds 13/03/09

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:04:16 +0000

FUTURE council tax freezes and front-line services are under threat because of a financial time bomb that could cost Scottish councils 1 billion pounds, it was claimed yesterday. A Holyrood committee was told that councils are still dragging their heels over implementing an equal pay agreement for staff. As a result the number of unresolved employment tribunal disputes in Scotland has escalated and currently total 35,000ADVERTISEMENTcompared with 48,000 for the whole of England and Wales.

Council row over equal pay erupts 13/03/09

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:02:58 +0000

Almost 400 women are claiming millions of pounds in compensation against two Black Country councils in a row over equal pay, it has been revealed. If they succeed, the councils will face a 6.5million pound bill. The number of women taking legal action against Sandwell Council in a High Court row over equal pay has risen to 88, with dozens more expected to follow, while Wolverhampton City Council is facing claims from 300.

Women start legal fight to get equal pay 13/03/09

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:00:14 +0000

WOMEN council workers fighting for equal pay will start their legal battle before an employment tribunal in Glasgow next week. Six staff with Glasgow City Council are to fight a test case on behalf of 40-50 other claimants, which could determine the outcome of thousands of women's equal pay cases against the authority. Some 35,000 equal pay claims had been made against public authorities in Scotland, which could end up costing councils more than £1billion. The test case, being brought on behalf of cleaners, home carers, dinner ladies, bus escorts, special needs drivers and other predominantly low-paid manual jobs, is the first to reach this stage of an employment tribunal after several preliminary hearings.

Local councils get right to borrow more cash to tackle equal pay bill 09/03/09

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 15:46:12 +0000

Councils are to be given the freedom to borrow more money to tackle the multi-billion pound equal pay bill in local government. Local government minister John Healey has granted councils permission to borrow against or sell assets known as capitalisation to raise cash to make equal pay back payments to thousands of employees - mainly women. Since 2006, the government has issued more than 1.1bn in capitalisation directions for equal pay back-pay

Council equal pay row back in spotlight 28/02/09

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:45:19 +0000

A long-running dispute over equal pay between male and female York council workers has erupted again, with staff accusing bosses of reneging on a deal. Members of the trade union Unison say City of York Council management have moved the goalposts and slashed their settlement offers.

Single Status, 10,000 Glasgow council workers in strike threat 28/02/09

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:44:06 +0000

Glasgow City Council workers may strike over the council reneging on it's decision not to slash wages under single status job evaluations. The dispute dates to 2006 when the review started and 3700 people faced losing money. Council leader Steven Purcell then assured workers then that take-home pay would be protected until April this year. Brian Smith, Unison branch secretary, said the council also promised to extend pay protection beyond the beginning of April if the redesigned structure had not been implemented.

Calderdale Council staff face ruin as they lose bonuses under Single Status fiasco 19/02/08

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:46:44 +0000

Furious low paid Council workers in Calderdale face losing a third of their take home pay as they are subjected to Single Status job evaluations. Morale is reported to be rock bottom by local worker Jim Jarratt of the parks and street cleansing department. The council is adamantly refusing to offer any kind of pay protection to help with the removal of Salary 2 which amounts to about a third of take home pay.

Staff upset by job evaluations 11/02/09

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:26:38 +0000

Job evaluations have caused upset and concern for some Highland Council staff, one of the local authority's chiefs has said. Assistant chief executive Michelle Morris said clerical and administrative workers were the group worst affected by worries over the process. The council said 88 percent of its workforce would see their pay increase. But unions - including Unison - said lower paid female staff were losing out.

Single Status: Glasgow council workers’ strike still solid 10/02/09

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:15:15 +0000

Some 21 community service supervisors employed by Glasgow council are now entering their sixth week of indefinite strike action over single status grading. The workers are members of the Unison union. The regrading means that some workers have lost 2k a year.

Equal pay appeal allowed in Wilson v HSE 10/02/09

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:14:06 +0000

Mrs Wilson was employed as a band 3 inspector by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In July 2002, she issued an equal pay claim. Wilson relied on three comparators who were paid more than her, each of whom was also employed as a band 3 inspector.

Petty crooks face jail threat as Glasgow pay and grading strike begins 24/01/09

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:10:41 +0000

Community service supervisors in Glasgow started an indefinite strike today that could result in minor offenders having to be handed jail sentences. Union leaders warned the action in the city by 21 council employees, who oversee work in the community carried out as punishment for law-breaking, could leave courts no alternative but to hand prison terms to petty criminals. Unison, which represents the staff in the social work department, said the action was triggered by a dispute over pay with Glasgow City Council. A new pay grading by the council could lead to some workers facing cuts of up to 1,500 pounds a year,

Waste workers reject pay changes 24/01/09

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:08:13 +0000

Refuse collectors in Hull have rejected a new pay and conditions deal during a meeting with council bosses. The council said a reorganisation was needed to help its waste management service meet a target of recycling 45 percent of the city's rubbish.

Council workers facing pay cut 12/01/09

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:31:37 +0000

WORKERS at Neath Port Talbot Council have voted in favour of a new pay structure which will see more than 600 staff face a wage cut. Last month a job evaluation exercise of council staff meant 623 faced seeing their pay go down while more than 2,000 workers were in line for a pay increase. One anonymous worker said the situation was causing discord among staff: It is putting man against man, he said.

Carlisle Council staff will be asked to take pay cut 11/01/09

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:12:16 +0000

AROUND 250 staff at Carlisle City Council will be asked to take a pay cut following a job-evaluation exercise carried out with trades unions.Details of how individuals are affected will be announced next week before the proposals go to a ballot of union members in February. The Cumberland News understands that more than 300 of the council’s 800 employees are in line for a pay rise while 250 will be worse off.

104 housing staff facing cut in pay 11/01/09

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:10:36 +0000

A SIXTH of the staff at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing will have their wages cut following a pay and grading review. Of the 690 employees at RBH, the organisation that looks after the council’s housing stock, 104 are to have their salaries cut

Bury Council withdraws sacking threat to workers 11/01/09

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:06:08 +0000

Bury Council sent letters to 4,000 workers telling them they would be sacked unless they accepted pay cuts under single status job evaluations. The Council sent the notices to staff on Tuesday telling them they would be dismissed and re-hired under new terms. The council has now told trade unions it has rescinded the notices of dismissal and will resume talks.

Hoodwinking Hypocrites Is How GMB And Other Unions Describe Birmingham City Council Claims On Job Evaluation 23/12/08

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:44:09 +0000

Ann Lafferty, GMB Organiser for GMB members employed at Birmingham City Council today responded to statement by Andy Albon to local media. She said Ignored and then blamed is the message Trade Unions, GMB and UNITE, described the incredulous stance taken by Birmingham City Council personnel department relating to difficulties the council face on job evaluation. GMB and UNITE members are astounded at the statement given by Andy Albon to the Birmingham Mail in which he blamed the Trade Unions for the difficulties they now find themselves in with thousands of appeals being lodged and 81 per cent of those appeals being won by the workforce.

Birmingham Council plays blame game in botched pay and grading review 23/12/08

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:42:03 +0000

For sheer thick-skinned front, it is difficult to beat Andy Albon, Birmingham City Council's director of human resources. The architect of the botched pay and grading exercise, which resulted in about 5,000 local authority employees suffering swingeing pay cuts, in some cases by more than 10k a year, is becoming increasingly outspoken in defence of his creation.

UNISON member wins case against lawyer 22/12/08

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:29:59 +0000

Thousands of council and NHS workers in Scotland who signed up with an English lawyer to fight their equal pay claims are in line for windfall payments after a home help took him to court and won. The Court of Session ruled yesterday that Newcastle-based Stefan Cross’s contract with Edinburgh council worker Jacqueline Quinn is unlawful and unenforceable in Scotland, and banned him for pursuing her for his bill of 500 pounds. But the real winners could be low-paid health and local authority workers all over Scotland who can now reclaim the 10 per cent plus VAT that Mr Cross routinely deducted from their equal pay settlements some of which were in excess of 10,000 pounds.

Windfall for low-paid as home help wins case against lawyer 22/12/08

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:26:53 +0000

THOUSANDS of low-paid council workers in Scotland are in line for a windfall after a home help took a lawyer to court over unlawful fee charges. The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that English solicitor Stefan Cross's contract with his client, Jacqueline Quinn, was unlawful and unenforceable in Scotland and banned him for pursuing her for his bill of 500 pounds. The decision means that thousands of council and NHS workers who signed up with the lawyer to pursue their equal-pay claims can now fight to have their money reimbursed.

Leeds Refuse Service Single Status dispute, work to rule begins 27th Dec

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:24:55 +0000

GMB and Unison have issued a joint statement regarding a dispute in Leeds with City Council Refuse service. The joint statement is as follows Following the recent GMB and Unison industrial action ballot in Street Scene Refuse department, over the dispute with Leeds City Council it has been decided that we have no alternative but to call all our members on Action Short of Strike Action Working to Rule Commencing 27th December 2008.

Single Status. Leeds Refuse Service, work to rule begins 27th Dec 22/12/08

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:22:48 +0000

The workers are angry about a number of issues including refusal to pay agreed rates of pay and enter into meaningful consultation. One worker told me that not only is he set to lose about 6k per year from his basic pay through Job Evaluation, the Council is refusing to pay agreed enhanced rates and have messed the union about in a discussions.

St Helens Council apologises to dinner ladies 17/12/08

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:17:12 +0000

St Helens Council has been forced to make amends to 37 dinner ladies who were sent letters demanding that they drop their case for equal pay. GMB, the union and Thompsons solicitors took the case to the House of Lords and reached a successful conclusion. The compensation amount will not be disclosed due to a confidentiality clause in the settlement agreement. The Courts said: The letter of 19 January 2001 contained what was effectively a threat. It spelt out a danger that the applicants might deprive children of school dinners and that they might cause redundancies among their colleagues. The letter was intimidation.

Now senior staff face pay cut threats 17/12/08

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:59:49 +0000

SENIOR Rochdale council workers are the next set of employees facing the threat of big pay cuts. After the announcement last week that 1,700 council workers are to see reductions in their salaries, consultants are to look at the pay scales of around 130 top employees, including senior managers, heads of service, executive directors and the chief executive. The council is not required to include senior management in the controversial review, brought about to meet the government’s equal pay rules, but has opted to keep the process fair to all employees.

Rochdale Council workers face massive and life altering pay cuts 16/12/08

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:37:51 +0000

Staff at Rochdale Council are facing a dismal Christmas as they learn of single status pay cuts. Around one in four workers are set to have their salaries slashed following a controversial single status job evaluation exercise. The proposals could see some staff losing up to £11,000 a year and affected workers were said to be inconsolable. Union bosses have hit out at the blunder and described the situation as a nightmare.

Kirklees Unison vote to strike over single status 16/12/08

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:36:51 +0000

Kirklees Unison union members in West Yorkshire have responded magnificently to the employer’s threat to sack and re-hire the whole workforce of 12,500. The council has informed staff that if the single status deal is not agreed by 27 February they will sack and re-engage the whole workforce on a 90 day notice. They intend to impose the new contracts from 1 June. Unison members have voted for action by a massive majority in a consultative ballot, with 84 percent agreeing to strike if the council issues any notices on 27 February.

Unite lobby at City Hall for equality in pay for London bus workers 13/12/08

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:23:33 +0000

Unite members will be lobbying the London Mayor, Boris Johnson next week to coincide with Mayor's Question Time (Wednesday 17th December) in an ongoing campaign to win equal pay and safe working hours for all London bus workers. This follows a series of strikes earlier in the year. Unite, the UK’s biggest transport union, has also learnt that TfL Surface Transport spent £16m less than budget in the year to date largely because of lower bus network contract prices. While thousands of Unite members are forced to work 60 and 70 hour weeks to make ends meet, TfL has saved millions driving down costs by suppressing wages. According to Unite, this money would go a long way towards settling this ongoing dispute and averting further strike action.

Council pay review appears a dangerously botched exercise 13/12/08

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:21:13 +0000

It has often been difficult over the course of almost two years to sort claim from counter claim and reach a balanced view about just how fair Birmingham City Council’s pay and grading review really is.As the 4,500 appeals against grading lodged by council workers begin to unwind, however, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the pay review has the look of an unfair and dangerously botched exercise. With 81 per cent of appeals heard so far resulting in a revised grading, and a pay rise, it must by now be dawning on the council’s Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition that the job evaluation exercise undertaken to award pay grades in the first place was so seriously flawed that it is almost certainly open to legal challenge.

Birmingham Council Workers win appeals over botched single status job evaluations 13/12/08

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:19:45 +0000

Birmingham City Council’s pay and grading structure is in chaos after hundreds of workers won appeals against wage cuts imposed on them during the Council's single status pay grading exercise. More than 350 town hall staff have successfully challenged their grades, under which some stood to lose more than £12,000 a year.

Oldham Council staff to learn new pay grades 02/12/08

Tue, 2 Dec 2008 15:44:10 +0000

THE results of Single Status job evaluations process will be revealed to council workers today. Employees have received the results from the first stage of a council-wide review of pay and grades by post under terms of the national agreement. The review is supposed to ensure staff doing work of equal value are paid the same and that the council complies with the law.

Equal Pay Lawyer to start up business in Scotland 01/12/08

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 14:55:07 +0000

Equal Pay specialist Stefan Cross, whose Newcastle-based firm has already left Scottish councils facing an equal pay bill of around 500 million after years of systematically underpaying female staff, intends to create a permanent operation in Edinburgh next year. He also said his company would also use Scotland to test-bed compensation cases against private companies who had discriminated against their staff, using a mix of no-win no-fee and legal aid

Employment special report: Rights on the money 26/11/08

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:39:34 +0000

The Court of Appeal’s rulings in a series of recent equal pay cases may force the Government and other employers to rewrite their policy documents. The decision of the Court of Appeal in Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council v Bainbridge and Ors (2008) and Surtees and Ors v Middlesbrough Council (2008) (The Lawyer, 29 July) has sent equal pay into a state of flux.

Rochdale Council hit by angry Single Status protests 26/11/08

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:35:18 +0000

Over 500 people protested in Rochdale last Thursday over the council’s pay and grading restructuring plans which will affect 8,000 workers . The lively protest had flags and banners from the Unison, Unite and GMB unions. The Lib Dem council plans to attack hard won terms and conditions by slashing overtime premia, anti-social hours enhancements and allowances. Over a quarter of the workforce will be directly affected in the pay packet.

UNISON member takes lawyer to court 15/11/08

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:59:15 +0000

Scottish home help Jacqueline Quinn is taking equal pay lawyer Stefan Cross to court after he charged her 500 pounds for taking her case to another lawyer. I think his bill is out of order and I am determined not to pay, said Ms Quinn, who has worked for Edinburgh City Council for 22 years. But goodness knows how many other Scots workers are in the same position. Mr Cross, who is based in Newcastle, has persuaded thousands of local authority workers up and down the country to let him pursue their equal pay claims, rather than rely on their trade unions.

Oldham Council staff face swingeing single status pay cuts 15/11/08

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:54:22 +0000

Thousands of Oldham Council staff face a dismal Christmas due the prospect of having their wages slashed by up to £7,000 when job evaluation and grading scores are issued next month. The final regrading scores will then form the basis of a new pay and grading structure likely to be revealed in the new year, after negotiation with trade unions.

Kirklees Council seeks to impose single status proposals on workforce 04/11/08

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 21:06:53 +0000

Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire has launched a major attack on its workforce by writing to all staff covered by single status informing them that they will imposing an agreement on them. Over 50 Unison stewards met last week to discuss how the union should respond.

Workers win long fight for equality 02/11/08

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 21:32:24 +0000

A GROUP of 22 housekeepers at Derriford Hospital are celebrating after winning a four-year legal battle over equal pay. The women, who work for private contractor ISS Mediclean, will share a six-figure pay-out of five years' back pay after an employment tribunal found they are entitled to the same wages as male porters in similar jobs.

Scottish Councils pay 1.6m to legal firms to oppose equal pay for women workers 01/11/08

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 17:19:38 +0000

The Scottish Trades Union Congress has revealed that Scottish local authorities have paid at least 1.6m of taxpayers money to lawyers to oppose the thousands of equal pay cases against them, at the same time as they have already paid out millions more in offers to workers affected. Information obtained from local authorities by the STUC reveals that council taxpayers’ money is already funding a substantial legal bill to block equal pay claims, with the claims that are progressing through the Employment Tribunal system still only at preliminary hearing stage.

Shetland issues equal pay offers 26/10/08

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:19:21 +0000

More than 3,000 Shetland Islands Council staff are being sent letters setting out new single status pay proposals. The aim is to give men and women an equal salary for the same value of work for manual and office jobs. The proposals have been the focus of talks for the past 18 months.

Dumfries and Galloway Council use Redcar appeal court ruling as pretext to abandon single status pay protection 09/10/08

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 06:59:55 +0100

Dumfries and Galloway Council employees are having pay protection, part of the local single status package, withdrawn. The Council is citing a recent appeal court ruling in the Redcar case. Union activists involved in Single Status negotiations feared that the ruling would be used as a pretext to withdraw pay protection.

Kirklees Unison members reject single status deal 09/10/08

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 06:58:39 +0100

Over 2,000 Kirklees Unison members met last week at Huddersfield football stadium to discuss the council’s proposals on single status. Despite salary protection arrangements for life, increased annual leave for everyone below scale six, full maternity leave for six weeks and half pay for 33 weeks, overtime payments for part time workers before they reach 37 hours and the potential of 12 months full pay when sick, the meeting voted unaminously to reject the proposals.

Up to 1,700 staff at Bolton Council face a pay cut under single status pay review 01/10/08

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 20:57:55 +0100

Of the 10,000 employees reviewed, 17 percent will be paid less, 39 percent will get a pay rise and the rest will see their pay packets remain the same. The council said those facing a pay cut would have their salaries frozen at their current level until January 2012. The council will enter a period of consultation on the results of this review with trade unions and staff over the coming month.

Copeland council workers to have salaries cut after pay review 01/10/08

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 20:56:03 +0100

The council’s 400 staff were due to find out today if they had been affected by the review, which the Government ordered all councils to carry out so that people doing the same job would get the same pay. The salaries of 48 per cent of the authority’s staff will rise, 46 per cent will stay the same and six per cent will be cut, if the proposals are agreed.

Unions welcome equal pay funding 26/09/08

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:31:21 +0100

Unions welcomed a Government announcement of funding worth £455 million for councils in England to deal with claims for equal pay from thousands of women workers. Local government minister John Healey said councils would be given the financial flexibility they needed to speed up meeting their long-term commitments to achieving equal pay for staff. Mr Healey gave the green light to 34 councils to raise the money to meet equal pay liabilities, either by borrowing against or selling assets, known as capitalisation. This would enable them to make one-off back-payments to thousands of employees - mostly women on low pay.

Single Status, Bury council staff to meet over pay cuts

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:56:41 +0100

More than 1,000 staff at Bury Council face salary cuts of up to 7,000 pounds as part of the authority's single status job evaluation process. Some long-serving workers face being on wages lower than they started out on years ago, with a drop in salary of nearly 7k a year. They were due to meet at Bury Town Hall to decide whether to take strike action against the massive and life altering pay cuts being inflicted upon them.

Equal pay compensation hits 6million

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:55:07 +0100

Compensation of about 6million is being paid to council staff in Aberdeen under equal pay legislation, it has emerged. Aberdeen City Council said more than 3,000 workers - many of them women - would benefit. Most of the staff work in catering, cleaning and social care. The council said it had been making provision for the payout over the last three years and there would be no implications for this year's budget.

West Dunbartonshire Council reneges on single status agreement 27/08/08

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:14:52 +0100

A Scottish council is slashing the amount of backdated pay for workers, leaving thousands of staff out of pocket, after councillors took the unusual step of overturning a previous agreement. West Dunbartonshire will save £7m by reducing the amount of cash paid to staff whose pay has increased under Equal Pay legislation. Union leaders and opposition councillors are angry that the council is imposing a deal which they claim will affect more than 2000 staff who were expecting pay backdated to April 2006.

Wigan Council faces equal pay claims under collective breach of contract 27/08/08

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:11:00 +0100

Former Metro workers are set to bring legal action against the council. London-based solicitors Leigh Day and Company say they have been contacted by a number of ex-council staff over equal pay claims. Offers of compensation were made to women council workers in catering, caretaking, cleaning, home care assistants, school crossing patrol workers and support workers. But former staff may have missed out on the cash and now they are being offered a chance to claim it back under a collective Breach of Contract agreement.

Unions under renewed attack for failing low paid women members 27/08/08

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:40:37 +0100

The courts have lambasted trade unions for misleading their low-paid women members and settling their equal pay claims for too little in recent landmark judgments. As many as 150,000 women, according to estimates from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), are entitled to compensation from local authorities and the NHS for being paid less than male colleagues, in litigation that now threatens to bring tribunals to 'a grinding halt'.

Chorley Council faces equal pay claims 27/08/08

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:39:22 +0100

Chorley Council has earmarked £50,000 for settling cases of staff who claim to have been discriminated against because of their sex. Sixteen council employees have launched compensation claims against the authority saying they have been paid less because of their gender - and local union leaders say there should have been more.

NHS staff face new hurdle over equal pay 14/08/08

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:21:24 +0100

An Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling has made it more difficult for NHS employees to claim equal pay. In the case of Hovell vs Ashford & St Peter's Hospital NHS Trust, the claimant lost an appeal asking her employer not to request an independent expert to look at In the case of Hovell vs Ashford & St Peter’s Hospital NHS Trust, the claimant lost an appeal asking her employer not to request an independent expert to look at the job roles being compared, in order to make a decision about equal pay.

Staff transferred under TUPE take equal pay claims with them 12/08/08

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:56:18 +0100

Employers who take on staff through TUPE could be liable for up to six years of unequal pay claims, according to legal experts. An Employment Appeals Tribunal has ruled that where there is a case of unequal pay while an employee is employed by the transferor organisation, the right of equal pay will transfer under TUPE to the organisation taking on the member of staff.

Glasgow care workers strike called off after improved offer 12/08/08

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:33:44 +0100

A strike by residential care workers in Glasgow due to take place on Wednesday of this week was called off after workers in the Unison union voted to accept an improved offer from the council. There was an attempt to tie a new pay grade to so-called modernisation plans being proposed by the council. There are some concerns over the council’s future intentions over modernisation. There are fears that job cuts, loss of premium payments and outsourcing (privatisation) are still on the agenda.

Bury Council workers facing massive wage cuts 10/08/08

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:11:25 +0100

UP to 1,200 council workers were left stunned and angry after being told their wages will be cut in some cases by as much as 7,500k. One staff member reportedly collapsed after suffering a panic attack and scores of others were left distressed and in tears when letters informing them of their proposed salary reductions were delivered to their homes at the weekend. And on Tuesday, a senior council official was dispatched to the council tax and benefits office in Whittaker Street, Radcliffe, to try to placate angry employees hit by the move to decrease their pay

Single Status Workers in Bury face £7,000 pay cuts 08/08/08

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:42:51 +0100

More than 1,000 council workers are facing pay cuts of up to 25 per cent as a result of Single Status job evaluations. Four thousand workers at Bury Council will be affected by the wage review. Bury is the first council in Greater Manchester to undertake regradings as part of the national Single Status agreement. Union Unison said the pay cuts for some were very serious.

Leeds City Council may face legal action over pay cuts 08/08/08

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:41:03 +0100

A plan to dismiss 1,100 council workers and re-employ them only if they accept new contracts, including wage cuts, has been called horrific"by their union the GMB. Leeds City Council is determined to impose a new single status pay scheme on the workforce despite 1,100 staff losing 3,000 pounds per year as a result of the job evaluation exercise. Bill Chard, a local official with the GMB union said the plan to dismiss the workers was horrific.

Four out of 10 councils missed single status agreements target

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 17:02:17 +0100

Less than 60 per cent of English and Welsh councils have completed equal pay job reviews, despite previous assurances from employers that 75% would be complete by April, Community Care has learned. The latest figures from Local Government Employers followed a landmark Court of Appeal ruling restricting employers' ability to set up transitional arrangements to protect the pay of council employees - typically men - who lose out in equal pay settlements.

1,100 Leeds council workers told, accept Single Status pay cuts of 3,000 pounds or face the sack

Sun, 3 Aug 2008 12:00:06 +0100

Leeds City Council is to sack 1,100 workers and tell them they can have their jobs back only if they accept pay cuts. Wages will be protected from the cuts for three years but the workers have been told they must accept them or stay sacked. Letters were delivered on Wednesday warning of dismissal from October 31 and re-engagement on November 1 under new contracts.

Equal pay deal costs Bury 2.7million 03/08/08

Sun, 3 Aug 2008 11:57:55 +0100

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council said it will spend an extra 2.7million because of a national equal pay deal. The agreement means pay rises for women who were traditionally underpaid compared to their male counterparts. Around 4,000 workers are affected, of whom 42 per cent of workers will get an increase, 28 per cent will be paid the same and 30 per cent will see their pay fall.

GMB Comment On Court Of Appeal Ruling On Equal Pay In Middlesbrough And Redcar & Cleveland 29/07/08

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:52:50 +0100

Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary said, This is an incredibly complex judgment running to 150 pages which will be very carefully studied by GMB. It is another case of different courts overturning one another on this issue. As Lord Justice Mummery said the cases involved the most complicated employment issues ever to be heard by this court.

Councils and NHS could owe female workers millions after court ruling 29/07/08

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:51:12 +0100

Local authorities and NHS trusts could be forced to pay millions of pounds to female public sector workers after a crucial appeal court ruling today. The decision by Lord Justice Mummery effectively outlaws gender discrimination in so-called pay protection schemes, which have been widely used to compensate staff in male-dominated jobs for the loss of bonuses abolished under equal pay legislation.

Rise in equal pay claims threatens councils 29/07/08

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:50:01 +0100

Claims for equal pay for local authority and national health staff have continued to surge, leaving public authorities facing a potential bill for billions of pounds. Employment tribunals, and possible claims from them, rose in number by almost a quarter in the 12 months to the end of March, according to figures from Acas, the conciliation and mediation service.

Greenwich Unison Single Status campaign document 24/07/08

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:06:41 +0100

I have been emailed this report of Single Status negotiations in the London Borough of Greenwich by David Marzella Unison Library Steward. The report contains information on what is regarded as highly successful campaign against Single Status pay cuts in the Borough. Reports allege that this was in the teeth of opposition from Unison HQ to boot. You can contact the Branch for info at greenwichunison@btconnect.com

GMB v Allen Single status judgement A poor deal that could cost the unions dear

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:49:55 +0100

In a decision that could potentially cost unions over £100 million, the Court of Appeal last week ruled that the GMB union discriminated against its women members by failing to negotiate a tough enough pay deal with their employer Middlesborough Council. The landmark case will have ramifications for thousands of local authority workers involved in disputes over single status pay deals, which were supposed to ensure equal pay for work of equal value, but instead have delivered unequal pay and wage cuts of thousands while failing to adequately compensate those who had been underpaid.

Edinburgh Council threatens to impose Single Status deal 22/07/08

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:08:50 +0100

The leader of Aberdeen City Council has said a new single status equal pay deal may have to be imposed on staff if unions reject the latest pay offer on the table. All three unions representing staff at the council start balloting employees on Tuesday on the improved pay offer.

Single Status Edinburgh Festival strike threat lifted 20/07/08

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:17:25 +0100

Fears of strike action by Edinburgh council staff during this years Festival have been lifted while negotiations over Single Status job evaluations continue. Negotiations started in May and Council managers were hoping Unions would be able to put proposals to a ballot of members in 6 to 8 weeks. However negotiations are proving to be protracted with Unions warning that Council managers underestimated how long the process would take.

GMB to challenge Allen discrimination ruling in House of Lords 19/07/08

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:54:09 +0100

GMB is studying a Court of Appeal judgment regarding an equal pay agreement in April 2005 covering staff employed by Middlesbrough Borough Council. This agreement has already been the subject of decisions at the Employment Tribunal in June 2006 and the Employment Appeal Tribunal in July 2007 and is now the subject of todays Court of Appeal judgment. Direct discrimination claims and victimisation findings against the GMB by the 26 claimants had been rejected at earlier stages in this long running case and were not challenged at the Court of Appeal.

Unions discriminated against female workers, court rules 17/07/08

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:31:10 +0100

One of the countrys largest trade unions discriminated against female members while negotiating a pay deal with their employer, the Court of Appeal said today in a ruling that could cost it and other unions millions of pounds. The landmark case will also have ramifications for thousands of local authority workers. The court ruled that the GMB union discriminated against female workers at Middlesbrough Council while negotiating a new pay deal.

Bus drivers demand equal pay rate 15/07/08

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:23:08 +0100

Thousands of London bus drivers are demanding the introduction of an equal pay rate across the network. The Unite union said 28,000 of its members voted overwhelmingly in support of the action which would bring all of London's operators in line.

Plaid AM calls for equal pay support 15/07/08

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:21:35 +0100

ASSEMBLY Members have been urged to support a motion condemning new pay levels implemented by UK Government departments that will give a poorer deal to thousands of civil servants working in Wales. The statement of opinion has been tabled by Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood. Her opposition to the move comes as a Welsh Labour MP yesterday attacked the new pay rates.

Aberdeen Equal pay deal wrangle continues

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:20:16 +0100

The leader of Aberdeen City Council has said a new equal pay deal may have to be imposed on staff if unions reject the latest pay offer on the table. All three unions representing staff at the council start balloting employees on Tuesday on the improved pay offer. The single status deal is aimed at cutting inequalities between male and female jobs.

Liverpool facing 60million cost of equal pay claims 15/07/08

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:18:34 +0100

THE full scale of Liverpool Council’s liability to equal pay claims from thousands of underpaid women workers stands at 60m, it emerged last night. Last month, the Daily Post revealed how the council had asked to borrow £35m from the Government to settle the claims with 7,000 staff, mainly women dinner ladies, cleaners, and care staff.

Equal pay without pay cuts 15/07/08

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:17:16 +0100

Up and down Britain council workers are being saddled with Gordon Browns public sector pay freeze and at the same time face councils using single status to attack them. Single status deals are supposed to deliver a common pay scale and harmonisation of conditions for all jobs. But the government has refused to give local authorities the extra funds to pay for the wage rises of those who are supposed to gain from the deal.

Single Status dispute provokes wildcat strike action in Peterborough 05/07/08

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 18:50:41 +0100

Dozens of binmen called a wildcat strike in Peterborough and are refusing to work until a pay dispute has been resolved. About 70 workers have downed tools amid claims their city council paymasters have reneged on an agreement to pay them thousands of pounds in back pay. They say they are owed compensation as a result of a salary restructure undergone by the authority and are refusing to go back to work until the outstanding wages are paid.

100million bill for Cumbria Equal Pay settlement 28/06/08

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:01:50 +0100

The bill for settling an equal pay claim brought by 3,000 female cooks, cleaners and care workers could cost Cumbria County Council 100mill. Councillors meeting in Kendal yesterday heard that the action could cost twice as much as the 50m estimated previously. Accounts for 2008/9 show that the council has set aside 31.1m so far to meet the claim. Councillor Ray Cole, the newly-appointed cabinet member responsible for equal pay, promised to move it forward. But his words cut little ice with 25 Unison members, all care workers, who were listening in the public gallery.

Job Evaluation Nurses call off strike action 28/06/08

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:00:50 +0100

Nurses in Derby have called off strike plans after reaching an agreement over pay, union leaders said. The five-month dispute began after hospital managers announced some staff faced pay cuts through restructuring. Derby Hospitals Foundation Trust said an agreement with staff had been reached. It has said the restructuring is necessary to save £55m. Under the deal, the wages of the nurses affected will be protected for up to three years.

Single Status-GMB Birmingham may launch legal action for 15,000 workers over breach of agreements 21/06/08

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:04:30 +0100

Nearly 15,000 Birmingham City Council workers who had new employment contracts, which left large sections of the workforce facing pay cuts of up to 10,000 pounds per year in some cases , imposed upon them could be set for legal action. The GMB union said the cost of the council’s breach of agreements could run into millions as a result of the way in which the controversial single status pay and grading review was implemented

1400 Nottingham City Council workers face Single Status pay cuts 21/06/08

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:03:24 +0100

A proposed salary scheme for Nottingham City Council workers means more than 1,400 staff will face a pay cut. Unison, the trade union that represents many of the workers, said it would not accept the wage cuts. About 8,000 council employees will be affected as the local authority undertakes job evaluations as part of the national single status agreement.

Equal pay will cost Liverpool city council £35m 21/06/08

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:01:58 +0100

Liverpool City Council has asked to borrow £35m from the Government to settle equal pay claims with thousands of underpaid women workers, it has emerged. Around 7,000 staff, mainly women dinner ladies, cleaners, and care staff stand to get an average of £5,000. Council officials have written to Government to request access to a special fund set up to help councils cope with claims, and will be told in the autumn how much the city can borrow.

Bin wage dispute causes backlog 16/06/08

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:01:18 +0100

Rubbish bins left unemptied in Derby because of a wage dispute are having to be cleared by agency staff. Bin men angered by new contracts, which removed bonus payments, have worked to an exact 37-hour week and left about 2,500 bins a day behind. The city council has used agency staff each day but extra shifts were needed to try to clear the backlog. Talks between the council and union Unite have reached an outline agreement which will be put to workers.

Single Status:City binmen in Derby take industrial action in battle over bonuses

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:00:21 +0100

Derby bin men have taken strike action over the loss of bonus payments. They are angry that bonus payments have been scrapped and are being urged by their Union, Unite, to only work a seven hour day. Refuse collectors normally have a set number of streets in which to collect bins and finish once they have been collected. It is known as task and finish, but binmen said they wanted the rule scrapped.

Coventry Council's intransigent stand on Single Status could cost £54 million 30/05/08

Fri, 30 May 2008 08:51:25 +0100

Coventy Council's failure to settle the Single Status dispute with Unions in Coventry in a fair and equitable manner has come back to haunt them. They will have to borrow £54 million in the form of a capitalisation loan to fund the cost of equal pay claims by female council workers. The Labour group on the Council claimed the situation could have been avoided if the Council hadn't adopted such an intransigent stance towards the Unions and staff of the workforce.

Single Status dispute hits refuse collections in Copeland, Cumbria 28/05/08

Wed, 28 May 2008 07:49:57 +0100

Over Ten years after the introduction of the national Single Status agreement refuse workers who work for Copeland Borough Council are still being denied the right to a 37 hour working week. Members of the Unite union who work for Copeland Borough Council began the industrial action on Tuesday in the row over working hours. Union officials are in talks with the council over how to reduce working hours from up to 45 hours to 37 a week.

GMB Leeds call off City Council single status strike 24/05/08

Sat, 24 May 2008 10:52:48 +0100

The GMB union has suspended its bin strike action in a dispute over huge pay cuts of £6,000 which a number of workers were due to receive as part of the single status agreement. The deal was rejected by the GMB, which says about 1,000 of its members will lose money. the action was suspended following an improvement in the proposed pay structure which will mean a small number of workers who stood to lose £6,000 a year in wages will now lose about £2,500.

Edinburgh Council workers to lose £5,000 in single status regradings 24/05/08

Sat, 24 May 2008 10:51:35 +0100

Nearly 3000 employees are facing pay cuts as part of a controversial single status pay and gradings restructuring of Edinburgh city council salaries, according to a confidential report. The proposals, disclosed to senior council managers and leaked to the Evening News, reveal that 363 of these employees face an effective pay cut of more than £5000 per year.

Copeland Council uses single status agreement to increase binmens working hours 22/05/08

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:07:08 +0100

REFUSE collectors in Copeland will go on strike next Tuesday in a dispute over working hours. The walk out is planned to hit Copeland Council hard, coming the day after the bank holiday, when most households will be expecting their fortnightly rubbish collection. The action was announced after talks broke down over arrangements for working a 37-hour week.

Coventry City Council seeks £54 Million to fund equal pay Tribunal Claims 22/05/08

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:01:53 +0100

Coventry City Council is to seek permission to borrow £54m in the event that it loses a row over equal pay for women workers. Coventry City Council believes the money may be needed to pay compensation after a union won the first stage of an employment tribunal. About 650 woman have lodged claims with the council, claiming they have earned less than their male colleagues.

Second strike in Blackburn with Darwen over single status pay cuts 22/05/08

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:45 +0100

Council workers in Lancashire have gone on strike again in an ongoing dispute over single status pay cuts which will cost some staff up to £3,000 a year in lost wages. About 200 members of the Unite union, including refuse collectors, street cleaners and gardeners, are involved in the strike. The last strike, on 7 May, affected rubbish collections with residents whose bin collections are carried out on a Wednesday or Thursday failing to have their bins emptied.

East Dunbartonshire Council Workers strike over single status pay cuts 14/05/08

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:21:00 +0100

Council Workers in East Dunbartonshire Council have taken to the picket lines in protest against 'single status' pay cuts which will see some staff lose up to 25% of their salary. The decision to down tools was taken after members of general union GMB and public services union Unison were balloted. A massive 95 per cent of GMB members voted in favour of strike, while 96 per cent backed industrial action up to but excluding strike.

Birmingham City Council may face thousands of Employment Tribunal claims 14/05/08

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:19:54 +0100

City unions are drawing up legal claims on behalf of those members who have lost money as a result of the imposition of new contracts under the Single Status pay deal introduced last month. Up to five thousand of the council's 40,000 staff have suffered pay cuts of £thousands under the new contracts.

Inverclyde Council staff vote against single status pay cuts 14/05/08

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:17:56 +0100

COUNCIL staff may still strike in a dispute over pay as hundreds of staff have rejected a pay deal. A meeting of council bosses and union representatives will take place today. Members of union GMB have voted against a deal and representatives say they will ballot in June to strike. The GMB union has 760 members among the 3,644 Inverclyde Council staff who were made the offer. Members of GMB voted overwhelmingly against accepting the single status pay deal on offer, while 170 staff who are members of Unite have also voted against accepting the deal.

Further strike action possible in Blackburn with Darwen single status dispute 11/05/08

Sun, 11 May 2008 17:06:54 +0100

Council workers in Blackburn are set to strike again next week in a dispute over single status pay cuts. About 200 members of the Unite union, including refuse collectors, street cleaners and gardeners, demonstrated outside the town hall last Wednesday. The dispute followed a job evaluation process at the council which has left hundreds of staff facing huge and life altering pay cuts.

Female workers allege they were "sold down the river" and sue their own Union 11/05/08

Sun, 11 May 2008 17:05:45 +0100

26 female council workers who say they were "sold down the river" by their own trade union during tough equal pay negotiations were yesterday at the centre of a landmark test case. They are accusing the GMB Union of sex discrimination, claiming they came out "losers" when the union did a deal with Middlesbrough Council.

Sepa staff to take industrial action over changes to pay 11/05/08

Sun, 11 May 2008 12:26:59 +0100

POLLUTION COULD go undetected, contamination unchecked and toxic waste unscrutinised in the most serious crisis to be faced by Scotland's official environment watchdog. Tomorrow, staff at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) are due to begin an unprecedented campaign of industrial action which could see the environment suffer as incidents occurring outside office hours are not covered. Concerned about the risks, Sepa's management has made a last-minute plea for exemptions to the industrial action. This is due to be discussed at a meeting with the trade union, Unison, tomorrow morning.

GMB Leeds: Third strike against imposition of single status pay cuts 08/05/08

Thu, 8 May 2008 07:02:02 +0100

Binmen in Leeds are poised for a third day of strike action as the council tries to clear a backlog of uncollected rubbish from previous walkouts. Refuse workers will walk out again today, Thursday, the third week they have missed collections in the dispute over huge pay cuts.

Council to face £10m extra bill for equal pay deal 07/05/08

Wed, 7 May 2008 22:21:07 +0100

Edinburgh City Council yesterday started a bid to make its pay scales fairer between men and women, at an extra payroll cost of £10m per year. The legal requirement to ensure the council's women workers get equal pay for equal work is costing the council more than £60m to handle the failure to address the issue over the past nine years. The money is coming out of asset sales and from other spending budgets.

Staff could work public holidays 07/05/08

Wed, 7 May 2008 22:18:53 +0100

Edinburgh council staff will be able to work public holidays and save up the days to use later under plans to overhaul their working conditions. The move at Edinburgh City council would see council offices open as usual on public holidays.

Blackburn with Darwen Council workers stage single status pay protest 07/05/08

Wed, 7 May 2008 22:16:47 +0100

Council workers have gone on strike in Blackburn in protest at a pay review they say has left some of them up to £50 a week worse off. About 200 members of the Unite union, including refuse collectors, street cleaners and gardeners, demonstrated outside the town hall.

Third rubbish strike to hit Leeds city council 07/05/08

Wed, 7 May 2008 22:14:51 +0100

Binmen in Leeds are poised for a third day of strike action as the council tries to clear a backlog of uncollected rubbish from previous walkouts. Refuse workers will walk out again on Thursday, the third week they have missed collections in a row over pay. GMB regional organiser Bill Chard said: "This action will not only continue, in fact it will multiply."

Balckburn with Darwen, latest on job evaluation 06/05/08

Tue, 6 May 2008 19:58:28 +0100

Hi Jim again please keep my name anonymous but an update is TGW and GMB have balloted for strike action and are now in the process of serving the chief executive with a seven day notice of a possible all out indefinite strike until something is resolved, Unison again are not supportive with the rest and are actually advising there members to ignore picket lines and to come into work apparently approximately 2000 Unison members have made enquiries now to jack in with Unison and to go with the two unions who are fighting for there members.

GMB Leeds: single status strike begins to bite 06/05/08

Tue, 6 May 2008 19:54:18 +0100

According to my investigation it seems that bin wagon drivers stand to loose about £1000 per year (60 staff) and loaders £3500 per year (120+ staff). 5 cleansing staff will gain between £1000 and £2000. Council are offering 3 years protected then the drop. Most staff affected have over 12+ years with the Council and pension contributions. The Council have also run a early retirement scheme questionnaire. Perhaps there is a link....or maybe I am a cynic? GMB claims of tonne's of rubbish piling up are not yet happening but some bins have not been emptied for 2 weeks so it is only a matter of time. Despite the Council's best efforts Agency workers don't know the routes and can't get every bin. Nor will all do the bags, just bins. They don't do the wheel outs unless the householder stops them...

Strike threat as Edinburgh council opens single status negotiations

Tue, 6 May 2008 15:21:19 +0100

THE city council is bracing itself for what could be crippling strike action as it prepares to announce a major review of workers' pay. Council officials and union leaders have cleared their diaries this week to start tough negotiations, which will see around 17,000 employees undergo job evaluations. City leader Jenny Dawe today warned the process would not be easy and some would "lose out".

Denbighshire Council workers robbed in single status deal

Mon, 5 May 2008 18:49:02 +0100

BBC Wales' Eye On Wales programme has looked at single status negotiations in one local authority, Denbighshire. The council signed the "single status agreement" 11 years ago, in a bid to end unequal pay for women workers.Denbighshire Council's chief executive said changes to wages may have to be imposed if a deal cannot be agreed.

STRIKE action is looming after West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) workers voted against the controversial Single Status pay deal last week. 05/05/08

Mon, 5 May 2008 14:52:46 +0100

If the pay structure proposal put forward by management is accepted by councillors at a special meeting in two weeks, then thousands of workers are threatening a walkout. As a result of the timing of union ballot results, the special meeting will give councillors enough time to decide if they will approve the deal or not. Denise McLafferty, Unison branch secretary spoke to the Post after the release of its ballot results, where 82 per cent of members voted in favour of rejecting the proposals.

York council workers face severe pay cuts 05/05/08

Mon, 5 May 2008 14:51:30 +0100

COUNCIL chiefs have apologised to hundreds of employees, after they were accidentally given false information about their new salary. Thousands of council workers have had their wages changed by City of York Council as part of a massive job evaluation and pay review. Many face severe cuts, some by thousands of pounds.

Allerdale Council Workers' fury over single status pay cuts 05/05/08

Mon, 5 May 2008 14:50:17 +0100

Allerdale council workers are in uproar after they were told this week that some workers will have their pay cut, and the worst hit could lose up to £7,000. About 400 council staff were told during at a meeting on Wednesday that some would receive pay cuts and others pay rises as part of single status job evaluations and regradings.

Council workers continue pay strike 01/05/08

Thu, 1 May 2008 15:51:43 +0100

Council workers went ahead with the second day of a 48-hour strike after talks aimed at resolving a pay row ended without agreement. The GMB union said the walkout by refuse collectors at Leeds City Council was causing "chaos", and would be followed by a work-to-rule. Union official Phil Chard said 2,500 council staff faced pay cuts of up to £6,000 because of a pay and grading review being carried out in response to national requirements over equal pay.

EAST STAFFS COUNCIL PAY STRIKE THREAT 01/05/08.

Thu, 1 May 2008 15:49:45 +0100

HUNDREDS of staff at Burton Town Hall are to vote on whether they should go on strike over a controversial pay review. East Staffordshire Borough Council has been accused of showing staff 'no respect and disdain' amid growing disquiet among workers. It comes as part of an ongoing row after the authority told 550 staff that more than 150 of them would face cuts of up to £9,000 in their annual salaries from April 1.

25,000-strong strike halts Birmingham 01/05/08

Thu, 1 May 2008 15:41:37 +0100

Birmingham was shut down on Thursday of last week as 25,000 workers went on strike. Over 170 schools were shut and thousands of parents took the day off work. For council workers it was their second day of action. On Wednesday thousands had struck against the imposition of a rotten single status pay deal which includes privatisation, "performance related pay" and swingeing pay cuts.

No progress in Leeds Single Status dispute 01/05/08

Thu, 1 May 2008 15:40:45 +0100

The second day of strike action by Leeds City Council bin service will take place tomorrow Thursday 1st May 2008. Bill Chard, GMB Organiser said “GMB is extremely disappointed that Leeds City Council is being so hard nosed. Their refusal to see reason means that 2,500 their hard working employees still face pay cuts of up to £6,000 per year each.

Blackburn council workers set for indefinite strike over pay 29/04/08

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:01:11 +0100

Hundreds of workers at Blackburn with Darwen council are set to go on indefinite strike from Wednesday of next week over the implementation of a single status pay deal. About 600 refuse collectors, gardeners, street cleaners and school caretakers in the GMB and Unite unions are to take part in the action.

No shelter for bosses as charity workers walk out on strike 29/04/08

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:59:49 +0100

Around 450 workers at the Shelter housing charity struck for 48 hours last week, and were were set to strike again on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The workers, members of the Unite union, are fighting against the imposition of longer hours and low pay. The strike was solid at offices around the country. Many of the workers reported that they are particularly concerned at how the changes will affect the services they offer and the way they are delivered.

Last Ditch Talks On Wednesday (30th April) To Avert Strike Action By Council Staff At Blackburn And Darwen Council 28/04/08

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:16:26 +0100

The GMB has announced that there are to be last ditch talks on Wednesday 30th April with the Chief Executive of Blackburn & Darwen Council to avert strike action over pay cuts for council staff. These talks take place as GMB and Unite unions are about to give notice that indefinite strike action, involving 600 workers, will commence on Wednesday 7th May.

Fightback Thursday reports from Birmingham Single Status dispute

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:38:20 +0100

There is far less traffic on the roads of Birmingham today as the city has essentially shut down. That’s no surprise in a city with 25,000 people on strike. One out of every 15 workers in the city is taking action. Over 170 schools are shut and thousands of parents are taking the day off work.

Blackburn Trade Unions to fight Single Status pay cuts with unlimited strike action 27/04/08

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:42:51 +0100

Up to 1,300 workers are facing pay cuts as part of Blackburn with Darwen Council's botched attempt at imposing it's rotten single status proposals on the workforce. Lower-paid council staff are being hit particularly hard. Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows 309 people earning less than £15,000 a year face cuts, and 698 of the losers' - more than half of the total - earn less than £20,000 a year.

Coordinated strikes in Birmingham against Single Status pay cuts, "performance related pay", privatisation and public sector pay restraint 26/04/08

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:10:07 +0100

The two-day action by Birmingham City Council workers coincides with strikes by teachers, which will close more than 60 schools on Thursday. Other schools in the city are experiencing partial closures on both days. The one-day strike by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) is in protest against a pay offer and will be the first national teachers' strike for two decades. A rock solid 24-hour strike was

York Council staff face wages shake-up

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:14:47 +0100

A RADICAL overhaul in the way more than 5,600 council workers are paid was unveiled yesterday amid warnings some employees could lose up to a quarter of their current salaries. York Council is undertaking the biggest shake-up in recent years of its pay structure in the hope of ironing out stark inequalities in wage levels, especially between men and women, within the authority.

Leeds council workers to strike over single status 22/04/08

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:22:51 +0100

Leeds council refuse workers and cleaning staff are set to stage two 24-hour strikes over the next week, including on the day of the local elections, over single status pay cuts. Workers are set to walk out on Wednesday of this week and again on 1 May, the day of the local council elections. The union is in dispute over pay rates for men and women workers at the council and announced plans to pursue thousands of equal pay claims through the courts.

Fight for fair pay to shut down city of Birmingham 22/04/08

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:21:53 +0100

Some 20,000 Birmingham council workers in the Unison, Unite, Ucatt and GMB unions are set to strike for two days on Wednesday and Thursday of this week in an ongoing dispute over single status pay cuts. They are fighting the imposition of a rotten single status deal which would see many workers facing devastating pay cuts.

Battle lines drawn for Birmingham council strike 22/04/08

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:32:10 +0100

BATTLE lines were today being drawn up for a two-day walk out by council staff, which begins tomorrow. Schools, libraries and leisure centres face closure and black bags will be left by the roadside as many council services grind to a halt.

Bin strikes to hit households 22/04/08

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:29:28 +0100

ABOUT 60,000 households in Leeds could be hit by a 24-hour walkout to be staged by council refuse workers and cleaning staff tomorrow in a dispute over pay. Yesterday council officials said preparations had been made to try to minimise disruption caused by the first of two planned 24-hour strikes. The authority says about 60,000 households normally have bins emptied on Wednesdays and it has written to residents who will be affected giving advice about their collections.

Back-pay offer for council staff 22/04/08

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:28:14 +0100

Thousands of council workers in Dumfries and Galloway could be in line for a seven-month back-pay package, if they vote to accept a wage deal. Staff are likely to be balloted in the summer on the "single status" plans to tackle wage inequalities. If they accept the new wage structure it could come into force on 31 October and be backdated to 1 April.

City strike to close 32 schools 22/04/08

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:26:50 +0100

About 32 schools will close and some public services will be hit as a result of a two-day strike by Birmingham City Council workers on Wednesday. Union members are to strike over a new pay and grading structure from midnight, unless a deal is agreed. Unions claim some staff earnings could be cut by half .

City braced for strike disruption 21/04/08

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:45:00 +0100

Sixty-thousand households in Leeds have been warned some of them could face a week-long wait for refuse collection because of strike action. The council estimates the majority of its 580-strong refuse workforce will be at work despite Wednesday's action. However, 106 members of the GMB union are expected to walk out in the dispute over pay.

Council workers equal pay claim thrown out by Sheffield tribunal 19/04/08

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:58:14 +0100

Hundreds of female workers have had their test claims for equal pay against Sheffield City Council rejected by a tribunal. A number of current and former female staff, including supervisory assistants, senior supervisory assistants, day services assistants, and home support workers, claimed they had been underpaid in the past despite fulfilling the same role as their male counterparts.

Binmen and council cleaners to strike in row over pay 19/04/08

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:56:38 +0100

COUNCIL refuse workers and cleaning staff are to stage two 24-hour strikes over the next few weeks, including on the day of the local elections, in a row over pay, it has been announced. The GMB union said its members at Leeds City Council will walk out on April 23 and again on May 1 after voting heavily in favour of industrial action. The union is in dispute over pay rates for men and women workers at the council and announced plans to pursue thousands of equal pay claims through the courts.

Birmingham strike 18/04/08

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:03:30 +0100

Birmingham council have imposed a new pay and grading system onto their 40,000-strong workforce, under the guise of the 'single status' scheme. Under this, some workers will lose half their pay. 20,000 angry workers came out on strike on 5 February and this is likely to be repeated and exceeded on 23 and 24 April.

Public sector strikes threaten to shut down Birmingham 18/04/08

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:01:58 +0100

College lecturers yesterday became the latest group to announce a walkout for next Thursday 24th April- joining teachers, civil servants and city council workers who will be on strike that day. The action is on a scale not seen since the winter of discontent 30 years ago with hundreds of schools and libraries across the city expected to close

Single Status: Binmen to strike in Leeds 18/04/08

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:00:20 +0100

Members of GMB employed in refuse and street cleansing in Leeds City Council, have voted by a majority in favour of industrial action in response to Leeds City Council’s proposals for a new pay and grading system. GMB members voted by 75% to 25% to take strike action and by 95.5% to 4.5% to take action short of a strike. GMB Senior Organiser, Neil Derrick said: GMB members are angry at Leeds City Council’s failure to provide a pay and grading structure which delivers fairness and equality.

Unions in Birmingham to fight against imposition of privatisation, flexibility and pay cuts 18/04/08

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:58:51 +0100

Birmingham City Council, the Lib/Dem-Tory controlled largest local authority in Europe, is seeking to use it's Single Status proposals to drive a coach and horses through the hard won terms and conditions of it's beleaguered workforce. It’s clear that Birmingham council and its corporate backers want to use the settlement to make fundamental attacks on the council workforce

Single Status, Glasgow City Council jobs crisis 11/04/08

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:59:46 +0100

Thousands of Glasgow council staff today received letters saying their jobs could be at risk. Council chiefs have written to around 10,500 employees warning them of a financial crisis as a result of the Council's single status/equal pay deal. Around 8000 are employed by direct and care services, providing home care, cleaning and janitorial services.

New Birmingham city council strike planned 10/04/08

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:58:44 +0100

Birmingham City Council workers are to go on strike again over a new Single Status pay and grading structure. Unions claim some staff's earnings could be cut by half but the council said 48% would receive pay rises.

Birmingham workers to shut council over single status 08/04/08

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 22:32:02 +0100

Some 20,000 council workers in Birmingham in the Unison, Unite, Ucatt and GMB unions are set to strike for two days on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 April in an ongoing dispute over single status pay cuts. They are fighting the imposition of a rotten single status deal which would see many workers facing devastating pay cuts.

Fresh council strike fears in Birmingham 08/04/08

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 22:30:54 +0100

BIRMINGHAM is again facing the prospect of school closures and uncollected rubbish with council unions gearing up for walkouts in the run-up to the May 1 local elections.

Sustained campaigning pays off over equal pay 08/04/08

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 22:27:06 +0100

The West Midlands Region has been part of the continued pressure which has resulted in the Government's recent moves to provide more cash to help councils finance equal pay through Capitalisation. Capitalisation direction gives permission for LG authorities to meet revenue costs out of Capital resources, either through borrowing or capital receipts. Directions have been issued to 46 local authorities for 2007/8 totalled £500m compared to £200m for 2006/7.

SEPA staff vote on industrial action 04/04/08

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 17:28:10 +0100

Nearly 800 UNISON members working for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are to be balloted on industrial action after the agency tried to dismiss staff and re-employ them on worse terms. The dismissal notices follow a failed attempt to pressure staff into signing many of their conditions away.

GMB Accuses Birmingham City Council Of Crisis Management In Equal Pay 04/04/08

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 17:26:45 +0100

The GMB Trade Union has accused Councillor Rudge of Birmingham City Council of drawing a veil of confusion and obfuscation over the single status pay and contracts dispute. Mr Rudge is asserting that further strikes could be illegal, a claim strongly disputed by Unison and the GMB. Birmingham City Council is seeking to impose huge pay cuts and new "performance related pay" contracts on the beleaguered workforce without their agreement.

More Birmingham council strikes would break law, warns city boss

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 17:25:25 +0100

TRADE unions may be acting unlawfully if they call further strikes over Birmingham City Council's controversial salary shake-up without putting an improved offer to a formal ballot, a senior politician warned today.

Single Status ballot imminent in Dumfries and Galloway 04/04/08

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 17:23:59 +0100

The ballot process to bring an end to the long running dispute over single status pay cuts for council staff in Dumfries and Galloway could begin next month. A deal was agreed in principle last year but it led to complaints from sections of staff who are facing swingeing wage cuts.

Single Status: More strikes possible in Birmingham 02/04/08

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 16:24:17 +0100

More strike dates have been proposed in a row involving Birmingham City Council staff over the imposition by the Council of huge pay cuts and "performance related pay" but unions say they hope to avoid more action. Workers at the UK's largest local authority took part in solid strike action in February.

Local Government striking back against single status deals 02/04/08

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 16:21:43 +0100

Council workers in Birmingham are gearing up for resumed strike action over pay cuts being imposed in the council’s single status pay deal. Three separate strike dates are being considered as the unions step up their action to cause maximum political impact ahead of the council elections Wednesday, 16 April, Thursday 24 April, to coincide with the national teachers’ strike, and Wednesday 30 April, the eve of polling day.

Agenda for Change: Hospital workers' victory 31/03/08

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:28:07 +0100

The spin of the government's "Agenda for Change" scheme is that it provides equal pay for doing the same job across the NHS. The reality was that management in many hospitals saw it as an opportunity to downgrade the role of administration staff, a similar situation to the one created by the much vaunted Single Status agreement for Local Government workers.

GMB To Ballot Members Employed By Blackburn & Darwen Council Over Imposed Pay Cuts For 1,300 Workers 31/03/08

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:26:58 +0100

GMB is to ballot members employed by Blackburn and Darwen Council for strike action over imposed pay cuts for 1,300 workers and a botched attempt to implement equal pay for women employed by the council.

GMB Leeds to ballot Refuse and Street cleaning members over imposition of swingeing pay cuts

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:14:50 +0000

GMB, public services union, is to ballot 250 members employed by Leeds Council in the Refuse and Street Cleaning service in a dispute over pay. The official ballot process starts on the 2nd of April and will conclude on the 16th of April. The action will start a week later immediately prior to the local elections on May the 1st. Householders in Leeds are likely to experience rubbish overflowing from their bins if as expected the refuse and street cleansing workers vote in this ballot for strike action.

Work-to-rule threat by angry council workers 25/03/08

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:01:36 +0000

Tension and anger is building amongst Barnsley council staff as they hear of pay cuts, as a result of job evaluations, which were revealed this week. Staff are threatening a work to rule if jobs are downgraded and pay cuts introduced as part of the Single Status agreement. All but the most senior members of staff have been subjected to job evaluations.

Low pay row rumbles on at council 19/03/08

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:19:55 +0000

WORKERS at Coventry City Council who were hoping for big payouts after winning a tribunal case on equal pay now face a fresh hurdle after the council announced plans to appeal against the ruling. Around 240 low-paid female workers had been hoping for payouts of up to £42,000 - or six years' worth of back pay - after an industrial tribunal case in Birmingham brought by the Unite and UNISON unions.

Schools face huge back-pay bill 19/03/08

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:13:21 +0000

Thousands of England's schools face bills of tens of thousands of pounds because of fall-out from a national equal pay settlement, a union says. Schools are being asked to finance a 1997 deal placing council workers on a unified pay scheme, says the National Association of Head Teachers.

Single status talks progressing well, says councillor 19/03/08

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:11:13 +0000

NEGOTIATIONS to hammer out an agreement on implementing single status for workers – which could see an extra £4m added to the council's annual pay bill – are progressing well, councillors were told today (Wednesday). Recent media reports suggesting that no agreement will be reached until next year were dismissed as being wide of the mark at a meeting of the full council in the Town Hall this morning.

MP urges county to end legal fight over equal pay 17/03/08

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:05:59 +0000

COPELAND MP Jamie Reed has called on Cumbria County Council to drop its legal fight against implementing the equal pay deal for the authority’s female workforce secured by the Unison trade union. To date, it is estimated that the county council has spent approximately £1 million fighting against implementing an equal pay deal through the courts. Mr Reed said: “I have asked the Secretary of State for Local Government if there is scope for the government to intervene in this matter.

Low-paid women's battle against Coventry council not over yet 17/03/08

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:01:07 +0000

HUNDREDS of low-paid women pursuing equal pay claims worth millions of pounds against Coventry City Council face a fresh hurdle. The women - including care workers and cook supervisors - stand to win up to £42,000 each in compensation if they ultimately win their cases.

Preston Council pay cuts could spark legal challenge 17/03/08

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:30:08 +0000

Union chiefs are seeking legal advice over massive pay cuts affecting thousands of Preston Council workers. Unison is urging members to reject a controversial pay and grading review which has led to some pay cuts of more than £5,000. One employee, who has worked for the council for more than 20 years, said: "I'm not on much of a salary and I'm down £3,000 a year.

Union members unhappy with Birmingham City Council's latest Single Status offer 17/03/08

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:29:04 +0000

Birmingham Council workers attending a series of mass meetings have so far voted overwhelmingly to reject a new pay deal. The feedback from meetings held at Villa Park and Cocks Moor Woods Leisure Centre, in Kings Heath, was that workers are still far from happy with the pay and grading system

Progress made in pay talks with Birmingham City Council 15/03/08

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:04:28 +0000

Progress has been made over the last two weeks in pay talks with Birmingham City Council, however, it seems as though there is still some way to go to a satisfactory resolution to the dispute. UNISON will be consulting with members on the latest position over the next few days. Caroline Johnson, UNISON Branch Secretary, has been quoted as saying "It is a very mixed package. There is more money on the table and those members who will see their pay improved will welcome that.

Schools landed with £8 million equal pay bill 15/03/08

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:01:56 +0000

Hundreds of school staff are appealing to Gordon Brown to stop Potteries schools being landed with big compensation bills for back pay. Almost 400 people - including some support staff who will benefit from the payouts - have signed a petition on 10 Downing Street's petitions website. They are angry at Stoke-on-Trent City Council passing on more than £8 million of charges to schools to cover the costs of equal pay settlements.

School cleaners win landmark equal pay victory 12/03/08

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:36:00 +0000

UNISON has won a landmark equal-pay victory for more than 5,000 Northern Irish school cleaners, which will see many of them women gain thousands of pounds in back wages. After six years of protest, negotiations and threatened strike action, the cleaners have won an equal-pay increase and six years back pay.

Equal pay , but not for all 12/03/08

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:28:43 +0000

SCORES of workers will miss out on a cash windfall from an equal pay deal because of an apparent loophole. Nearly 3,000 low-paid Cardiff council workers, including school dinner ladies, are to be offered up to £9,700 in pay-outs to settle a long-running equal pay dispute. But the deal excludes workers from voluntary-aided schools, which are all Church in Wales and Roman Catholic schools, because their staff are employed by each school’s governing body instead of the council.

New offer in council pay dispute 12/03/08

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:27:15 +0000

Birmingham City Council says it has made an improved offer to unions following a dispute over its new pay and grading structure. Workers at the UK's largest local authority went on strike in February over proposals which unions said would have cut some staff's earnings by half.

Local government bosses forced into talks 12/03/08

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:25:51 +0000

Negotiations between unions and Birmingham council bosses over the imposition of a single status pay deal were continuing as Socialist Worker went to press. Single status deals were supposed to bring equal pay for low paid women. Instead thousands of council workers, including many women, face pay cuts.

Workers to strike again at Shelter housing charity 11/03/08

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:49:57 +0000

Workers at national housing charity Shelter are to strike again over management plans to scrap their pay and grading structure and force them to sign new employment contracts. Members of Unite the union began a campaign of strike action last week following months of fruitless negotiation over the issue.

No choice but to strike 11/03/08

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:40:56 +0000

The phenomenon of public sector employers threatening to sack their employees unless they accept inferior contracts is a new - and dangerous - one Council workers in East Lothian in Scotland are currently balloting on whether to strike over the local authority's plan to dismiss them and re-engage them on worse terms and conditions.

SEPA staff discuss challenge to dismissal notices 08/03/08

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 15:41:02 +0000

A letter to nearly half of SEPA staff who have refused to sign away their agreed conditions, is to be challenged by the staff union, UNISON at a series of meetings starting this week. The workplace meetings that UNISON are organising across Scotland, will discuss action by the staff to challenge the dismissals and a number of other breaches of agreements detailed by the union in a dispute notice handed to SEPA last Friday

Women council workers get payout 08/03/08

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 09:49:50 +0000

Unison said almost 300 women at Kirklees Council working in traditional female jobs such as home carers, kitchen assistants and cleaners, were excluded from bonuses awarded to men in comparable posts such as gardening and refuse collection. The claims were originally submitted in 2006 and settled after preliminary employment tribunal hearings.

UNISON lodges 40,000th equal pay case 08/03/08

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 09:48:25 +0000

UNISON lodged its 40,000th equal pay claim this week, as 300 women members found out the union has won payouts for them of up to £35,000 each. The compensation follows UNISON's successful equal pay case on their behalf. It is on average 50% higher than the settlements achieved by no win, no fee lawyers. "I am delighted that UNISON has been successful in achieving pay justice for this group of low paid women workers," said general secretary Dave Prentis.

NEW PAY DEAL FOR THOUSANDS OF FEMALE COUNCIL WORKERS 07/03/08

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 18:26:53 +0000

Thousands of female council workers are in line for an average £7,428 pay bonanza after being unfairly paid for years. Stoke-on-Trent City Council has set aside up to £26 million to cover the claims of about 3,500 workers. They are being offered the cash to drop costly claims against the council for equal pay compensation.

GMB and TandG members reject Aberdeen Council Single Status proposals

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 19:31:52 +0000

Union leaders at Aberdeen City Council say they have not ruled out the possibility of strike action over controversial equal pay settlements. Members of both the T&G Unite and GMB unions have voted to reject the latest offer. Council officials have since been meeting union leaders in a bid to agree improved terms.

Greenwich workers score victory against single status 05/03/08

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 21:47:01 +0000

Greenwich Unison members have voted to accept the council's latest 'single status' proposals. This follows a successful campaign by the trade unions, led by Greenwich Unison, demanding equal pay without pay cuts. The proposals include a reduction in the working week, No loss of pay, Pay increases for manual workers, An improved job evaluation system, Equal pay compensation, Improved overtime rates.

Walkout at Preston council 04/03/08

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 19:46:06 +0000

Several workers at Preston city council walked out unofficially on Thursday of last week after being told that the single status review will leave a third of the workforce facing pay cuts. Some Unison union officials have argued that the deal will help low paid women. In fact the lowest paid women will only get 8 to 10 pence more an hour. Meanwhile more than 400 workers mostly women will face pay cuts. Some stand to lose up to £7,000 a year.

Growing rage over single status cuts 04/03/08

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 19:42:49 +0000

Over 200 people from different unions and campaigns came together to lobby Waltham Forest council on Thursday of last week. Members of the Unison, Unite and GMB unions joined anti-cuts campaigners in a march to protest against wage cuts caused by the councils’s single status deal and the threat of job losses.

Employees lose out in pay review 04/03/08

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 15:15:21 +0000

An emergency surgery is being held in Plymouth for council employees who are having their salaries cut. Plymouth City Council sent letters to its 10,000 staff on Friday, giving details of the government's national pay and grading review. About 2,000 workers face salary cuts from September 2010. Some workers said they stand to lose 20% - up to £8,000.

Environment agency staff set to strike 04/03/08

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 15:13:53 +0000

Hundreds of staff at Scotland's environmental watchdog are set to strike within weeks, as workers prepare to receive official confirmation today that they will be sacked for refusing to accept a controversial pay deal. Unison is holding a series of meetings at Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) offices across the country where angry workers will discuss taking industrial action in protest over the threat.

WALTHAM FOREST Protesters threaten general strike over council cuts

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:51:48 +0000

PROTESTORS marched on the Town Hall last night (Thursday) in an attempt to convince councillors to oppose the cabinet-approved budget. The mixture of union members and cultural campaigners met in Walthamstow Town Square and marched along Hoe Street and Forest Road to the Town Hall. Protestors are concerned about £14m worth of cuts to council jobs and services over the next three years. And the council's single status plans, which aims to equalise pay for similar jobs, means that while some people will get paid more, others could lose up to £8,000 a year.

Preston Council workers walk out over pay cuts

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:49:23 +0000

Hundreds of Preston City Council workers are to see their salaries slashed, prompting some to stage a walk-out. More than 400 people - a third of the entire workforce - in departments including accounts and IT have seen their salaries axed by up to thousands as part of the national single status pay review. Council leader Ken Hudson said the "winners" and "losers" could expect to win or lose to the tune of around £7,000.

Equal pay strike solid at DVLA 29/02/08

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:46:36 +0000

Union officials at one of Swansea's biggest employers say most staff are supporting a one-day strike over pay. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) mounted a picket outside the centre which employs around 5,000. It claims there is a widening pay gap between the mainly female staff there and predominantly male workers at related transport agencies

How unfair pay pays 28/02/08

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:18:07 +0000

Porsche-driving Stefan Cross has done very well for himself out of damsels in distress. The personalised plate on the sports car and nice house in Newcastle's leafy Gosforth suburb are proof there's good money to be made out of discrimination. The lawyer is one of a breed promising to mount a white charger and fight the good equal pay fight on behalf of undervalued women.

Shelter staff vote to strike 28/02/08

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:15:55 +0000

Union members at the housing charity Shelter have voted overwhelmingly to take strike action over sweeping cuts to pay and conditions. These are the most serious attacks by senior management in the history of the organisation and this is why 72% of those balloted, voted "yes" to industrial action. This was on an impressive 65% turnout.

March planned against Waltham Forest cuts 27/02/08

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:03:14 +0000

Council workers in Waltham Forest, north London, were set to march to protest over cutbacks on Thursday of this week. The council cabinet approved a budget last week that included cuts of £14 million. Only £4.5 million of those cuts have been identified, and unions representing council workers say that the cutbacks will mean definite job losses at the council. On top of this the workers are facing a single status review that will lead to pay cuts for some workers, with some losing as much as £8,000 a year if the single status plans go ahead.

Fighting single status cuts in local government wages 27/02/08

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:01:13 +0000

Over 50 angry and worried GMB union members, demonstrated outside Leeds Civic Hall on Wednesday of last week. The union wanted to lobby the council meeting, to show its opposition to pay cuts of up to £6,000 a year included in the council’s single status deal.

What is single status and how should we fight it 27/02/08

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:59:54 +0000

Up and down Britain council workers are being saddled with Gordon Brown’s public sector pay freeze – and at the same time face councils using single status to attack them. Single status deals are supposed to deliver a common pay scale and harmonisation of conditions for all jobs. But the government has refused to give local authorities the extra funds to pay for those who are supposed to gain from the deal.

Single status strikes get results in Birmingham 27/02/08

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:58:52 +0000

Birmingham council bosses have been forced into a significant climbdown over their attempt to cut wages in the name of equal pay. Having spent 18 months refusing to seriously negotiate with the unions and attempting to force through a rotten single status pay deal, they have now been forced to the negotiating table.

Anger as Peterborough council staff face pay cuts

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:49:17 +0000

A pay bombshell has hit 6,000 city council workers and left hundreds fearing they will face salary cuts. The implications of a Government shake-up of local authority salaries will affect everyone from binmen and dinner ladies to white collar staff and managers at the town hall. The luckiest will get big pay rises, but some will find their wages frozen – or even cut.

Trade unions postpone strike as Birmingham Council agree to talk 26/02/08

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:47:33 +0000

Unite members working for Birmingham City Council have agreed to suspend strike action for two weeks to enter into negotiations with the Council. The workers had been due to strike tomorrow in an ongoing dispute over new pay and grading structures imposed by the council without trade unions or workforce agreement. Trade union’s say the proposals could reduce council workers pay by up to £18,000 a year and will not solve equal pay issues outstanding at the council.

Birmingham strike suspended 26/02/08

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:44:41 +0000

A solution to Birmingham's bitter pay dispute has edged a step closer, with UNISON winning a promise from the council to begin negotiations afresh. Unions called off strike action planned for today after constructive talks with council leaders, who have agreed to scrap plans to impose a new pay and grading structure.

Summer of discontent warning to city leaders

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:02:45 +0000

Edinburgh is facing a "summer of discontent" leading to massive disruption across the Capital unless efforts are made to appease disgruntled council workers. The stark warning from unions is that possible strike action could lead to schools being closed, bins left unemptied, community centres and libraries shut, and social work and housing offices left unstaffed.

TGWU: Strike on March 5th at shelter housing charity 26/02/08

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:01:33 +0000

Workers at national housing charity Shelter are to strike on Wednesday March 5 over management plans to scrap their pay and grading structure and force them to sign new employment contracts. Members of Unite: the union decided by 211 votes to 74 in a secret ballot to take strike action to secure a rethink by the charity’s management following months of fruitless negotiation over the issue.

Council’s poor equal pay pay deal rejected by union bosses 26/02/08

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:43:51 +0000

TRADE unions have attacked a deal offered to almost 3,000 low-paid council workers in Cardiff to settle a long-running equal pay dispute. Cardiff council is offering up to £9,700 in pay-outs to mainly school cooks, cleaners and care workers but union officials who attended an executive meeting said that it was not enough.

Marching against single status 25/02/08

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:13:40 +0000

Local government workers in Waltham Forest will march to the London borough's town hall on Thursday 28 February in protest against "single status" pay cuts. Refuse workers could lose £100 a week with street cleaners losing £70 a week. The government's 'efficiency' review could make 300 council workers redundant. Socialist Party members in Unison and Unite agree with equal pay for men and women, but not at the expense of other workers.

County council staff in pay dispute with union 24/02/08

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:40:06 +0000

A GROUP of Nottinghamshire County Council workers have made an official complaint against their own union in a dispute over a pay review. Around 3,500 workers are facing pay cuts of between £2,000 and £8,000 under equal pay laws which aim to end discrimination between men and women doing jobs of similar value.

No wage cuts Fund equal pay

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:20:52 +0000

No pay cuts! Equal pay for women, now That's what Birmingham council workers will be saying as they strike for the second time on 26 February. Tens of thousands of members of GMB, Amicus, TGWU, UCATT and Unison struck on 5 February and hopes are that the action will be as effective and vibrant again.

Strike inspires council to produce new proposals 24/02/08

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:19:26 +0000

Argyll and Bute council has offered employees a new set of proposals on pay and conditions, after staff took industrial action earlier this month over plans to tear up agreements and impose cuts on staff conditions. A series of all-out strikes, selective action and working to rule led to the council making new proposals, including:

40m bill for new pay deal 24/02/08

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:16:57 +0000

Taxpayers in Dudley could be saddled with a c40 million debt to fund a controversial equal pay deal for council staff, it was revealed today. Dudley Council estimates implementing the single status pay deal for 11,000 workers will cost between c30 and c40 million.

Staffordshire Union members vote for acceptance of Single Status proposals 22/02/08

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:23:58 +0000

Union members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of new pay proposals at Staffordshire County Council.Workers with Unison, the T &G section of the union Unite and the GMB were balloted on the authoritiy's Single Status pay and grading proposals and the vast majority gave their support to the proposals

Sabre rattling from Birmingham Council Chiefs - Strike and you're privatised! 22/02/08

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:22:38 +0000

Birmingham Council binmen have been threatened with privatisation if they walk out on strike again in protest at the imposition of new contracts and pay cuts. Refuse collectors and street sweepers in Birmingham are set to walk out for the second time in a month on Tuesday as the bitter Single Status dispute continues.

East Lothian Council staff refuse to sign away their terms and conditions despite threats of sackings 21/02/08

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:48:24 +0000

UNISON Scotland has condemned a decision by East Lothian council to dismiss all its staff and re-engage them on inferior terms and conditions. The union is balloting members at the council urging them to vote for industrial action to reject planned cuts, which form part of the council's single status proposals, to conditions.

UNISON Calls On Coventry City Council To Face Equal Pay Facts 21/02/08

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:47:08 +0000

UNISON, the UK's largest pubic sector union, is warning Coventry City Council to "face the fact that equal pay is not a take it or leave it piece of legislation, but the law of the land". The union is calling on the council to stop wasting residents' money fighting equal pay claims made by the union on behalf of 250 low paid women council workers.

Coventry City Council women workers could get £42k

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:20:36 +0000

HUNDREDS of low-paid women working for Coventry City Council have won the right to claim thousands of pounds in back pay. Some of them will be entitled to as much as £42,000 compensation for six years back pay, thanks to a tribunal victory. About 250 care workers, cook supervisors and escort drivers brought an their case to an employment tribunal at Birmingham under the Equal Pay Act.

Employers seek to bypass Trade Unions and impose Single Status deal in Dumfries and Galloway

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:18:00 +0000

A MULTI-MILLION pound pay deal u-turn could lead to strike action. Council chiefs were this morning expected to write directly to 6,500 workers asking if they would accept the single status settlement, which is currently on the table. A majority agreement on the current equality proposal could lead to it being enforced. But that has caused fury among trade unions who are effectively being bypassed.

Council workers resist single status attacks 19/02/08

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:38:51 +0000

Angry refuse and street cleansing workers in Leeds are to demonstrate on Wednesday of next week against Leeds council’s proposal to take up to £6,000 each year from their pay packets. Workers in the GMB union plan to protest outside a council meeting at Leeds Civic Hall. Bill Chard from the GMB said, We have voted by over two to one to reject the council’s pay proposals. We will fight to take low paid women out of poverty pay and resist Leeds council’s attempt to plunder the pockets of refuse and street cleansing workers.

20,000 to strike over single status in Birmingham 19/02/08

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:37:07 +0000

The battle for equal and fair pay in local government is coming to a head in Birmingham council. Over 20,000 workers in the GMB, Unison, Unite and Ucatt unions are set to take their second day of strike action on Tuesday of next week. They are fighting the imposition of a rotten single status deal which would see many workers facing devastating pay cuts.

Private sector warned of huge equal pay time bomb 18/02/08

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:04:18 +0000

Private sector employers have been warned they could face an equal pay nightmare on the same scale as that currently overwhelming local authorities, after a survey revealed a lack of data about salary levels.

Nurse talks move to negotiators 18/02/08

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:01:39 +0000

Arbitrators have been called in to try to prevent nurses working at Derby's hospitals from going on strike. The trust which runs the city's main hospitals wants to downgrade some posts as part of restructuring. It said it needed to make cuts totalling £55m. For the past three weeks, management and unions have been in talks but have so far failed to resolve the dispute.

Equal pay for Swansea women 18/02/08

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:59:05 +0000

Around 3,000 Swansea Council staff who may potentially be eligible for an equal pay payment are to get details of their individual settlement offers in the coming weeks. The authority is writing to the staff - mainly women in care, catering, cleaning and teaching support assistant posts - to make the offer and invite them to specially organised signing days. More than 1,200 of these staff attended briefing sessions last month to explain more about the offer and how it affects them.

Hundreds entitled to pay-outs 18/02/08

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:56:15 +0000

A judgement by an employment tribunal in Birmingham means that hundreds of women council workers could be in line for financial pay-outs, a union says. Unite said 250 workers at Coventry City Council could make a claim after the union won the tribunal case, and this could prompt other UK-wide claims.

Council's £11.5m equal pay move 17/02/08

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:21:06 +0000

A council may offer thousands of pounds in an equal pay settlement to about 3,000 mostly female employees in catering, cleaning and social care. Cardiff Council wants to avoid the tribunals which have dogged a number of UK councils following the introduction of equal pay legislation. The settlement could mean a pay-out of more than £9,500 per person.

Cardiff equal pay plan could give workers 9,000k bonus 16/02/08

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:26:36 +0000

Cardiff Council is to write to around 3,000 largely female employees in catering, cleaning and social care who they believe could have an equal pay claim against the local authority to advise them that, provided recommendations are agreed by the Executive, they wish to offer a settlement. The Executive is to meet next Thursday (February 21) to discuss a report on to equal pay.

GMB Demonstration In Support Of Equal Pay And Against Pay Cuts For Workers At Leeds Council 14/02/08

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:57:51 +0000

GMB members from across Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council will demonstrate outside Leeds Civic Hall on the 20th February 2008. This will coincide with the full council meeting. The demonstration is to protest that low paid women who work for the Council will not receive equal pay under Leeds Council pay proposals and to register the anger felt by GMB members at the proposed pay cuts of up to £6,000 per year under the same proposals.

Notts Council workers to file complaint against Unison 14/02/08

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:27:52 +0000

Some workers at Nottinghamshire County Council have filed a complaint against their own union in a dispute over Single Status job evaluations which have resulted in pay cuts. They claim that Unison failed to ballot all of its members over the council's plans for a new pay structure.

Tories to be beacon of best practice on equality for women 14/02/08

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:17:11 +0000

The Conservative party is to become "a beacon of best practice" for equal pay and family-friendly hours, it promised today, as Theresa May unveiled the party's new priorities for women. Launching a report titled Women in the World Today, the shadow minister for women said more must be done to secure real equality. "As a party, we want to do everything we can to help this progression continue," she said.

124 million pound spending out of control

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:15:40 +0000

Education chiefs were today accused of signing "blank cheques" in a multi-million pound job evaluation review that has yet to be completed after 13 years. The criticism of the protracted process within the province's five education boards came in a report by the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Blackburn Council staff set to strike over pay 14/02/08

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:13:57 +0000

COUNCIL staff are set to take industrial action over controversial changes to their salaries. Union members are to be balloted on the move, which could result in strikes hitting council services. Blackburn with Darwen's two biggest unions, Unison and the Transport and General Workers Union, have already voted to reject the new pay scale.

Second strike in council pay row 13/02/08

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:23:13 +0000

Unions have announced further industrial action by Birmingham council workers, in response to a lack of talks over an ongoing pay dispute. About 3,000 staff held a rally outside the city's council house last Tuesday as part of a 24-hour walk-out

GMB Announce Second Strike On 26th February In Birmingham City Council Pay Dispute 13/02/08

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:22:11 +0000

GMB and other unions have now served notice on Birmingham City Council that there will be a second one day strike and day of action on Tuesday 26th February 2008. This follows the first strike which took place on Tuesday 5th February. The dispute affects workers in all parts of the Council including the schools.

Birmingham council workers - Biggest strike for decades 13/02/08

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:12:11 +0000

On 5 February, Birmingham saw its biggest strike for decades. Tens of thousands of Birmingham council workers were on strike and thousands stood outside hundreds of schools, offices, leisure centres, bin depots and more, before gathering in a boisterous protest outside the Council House. The one-day strike was against a 'single status' agreement that was supposed to bring equal pay for women workers after years of underpaying them. But it has in fact led to thousands of workers facing a pay cut!

Single status problems looming in the West Midlands 13/02/08

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:10:47 +0000

Union branches in the West Midlands region are at various stages in the implementation of single status. Some smaller branches have agreements in place but larger authorities are having major problems. This is mainly as the core of single status is job evaluation and any job evaluation involves winners and losers. In some authorities as many as 20% would lose money.

Strike action can beat single status 12/02/08

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:31:36 +0000

Council workers in Birmingham are set to take further action over the Tory-Liberal Democrat council’s implementation of job cuts under the guise of single status

City's bin bag backlog continues 11/02/08

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:39:09 +0000

Hundreds of bin bags have still not been collected in Birmingham five days after a strike by council staff which paralysed services. People living in parts of the city are now complaining of rat infestations. Council workers walked out for 24 hours on Tuesday in protest at a pay review by the authority.

Anger over single status pay deal 11/02/08

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:36:31 +0000

LOW-PAID council workers are angered and demoralised by more delays in their long-promised pay rise and lump sum of back-pay. It has emerged that hopes of settling the single status issue across the whole SIC workforce by April have gone out the window. Rumours circulating that no deal may now be possible until 2009 were rebuffed by officials dealing with the complex issue this week. They still hope work can be completed this summer.

Sir Alan slams equal opportunity laws 10/02/08

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:04:31 +0000

Business guru Sir Alan Sugar has criticised employment laws for making it more difficult for women to get jobs. The Apprentice star says equal opportunities rules mean employers are not allowed to ask female candidates if they plan to have children. Sir Alan, who advises the Government on business issues, claims many firms simply bin women's CVs rather than take the risk of them taking maternity leave.

Firms should cut gender pay gap or lose £125bn deals, say MPs 10/02/08

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:02:05 +0000

Government contracts worth £125bn a year should be withheld from companies that pay women less than the men, a cross-party committee of MPs declares today. It found that 30 years of equal pay legislation have done little to erode the earnings gap. Full-time women workers, who are clustered into lower-paid occupations, earned 17.2% less than men last year. And part-time female employees earned 35.6% less than their male counterparts.

Birmingham staff strike over new pay structure 10/02/08

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:00:39 +0000

More strikes are in the offing after thousands of staff brought Birmingham City Council to a standstill on February 5 in protest at the imposition of a new pay structure. The strike by 20,000 Unison, GMB and Unite members closed 168 schools along with many council buildings, while rubbish piled up as bins went uncollected. Further action is planned for later this month as the unions pursue a dispute arising from the national Single Status Agreement signed in 1997, which is aimed at ensuring men and women receive equal pay for work of equal value.

Men's claims for equal pay face UK study 08/02/08

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 15:31:46 +0000

Edinburgh city council is to examine what action has been taken elsewhere in the UK in a bid to award male cleaners, home helps and catering staff a fairer pay deal. Workers have been denied extra payments offered to their female colleagues because sex discrimination laws do not apply to men. Legal experts have insisted the council cannot make offers to its male workers. It is thought the Government would need to update legislation before any action is taken.

Birmingham: Thousands on strike against pay cuts 08/02/08

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 15:28:31 +0000

More than 20,000 Birmingham Council workers were on 24-hour strike on 5 February 2008 over a new Single Status pay and grading system and employment contract which will see many lose basic pay. The council want to impose the new system at the end of March. The council is also attempting to impose performance-related pay, seven-day working and 'job flexibility'.

Unions suspend council walk out 07/02/08

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 19:08:07 +0000

Strike action by council workers which hit key services, including ferries and gritting, across Argyll and Bute has been suspended. Join trade unions Unison and Unite agreed to suspend industrial action over an equal pay deal after discussions with the local authority.

UNIONS BACK NEW DEAL OVER COUNCIL PAY 07/02/08

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 19:05:15 +0000

Trade union Unison has formally backed Staffordshire County Council's new pay scales under a national review.The GMB and the T &G section of Unite union have also supported the authority's plans for a new pay structure for around 28,000 staff. All three unions will now recommend the proposals when members are balloted over whether to implement the new pay structure from the beginning of April.

Birmingham council workers strike 07/02/08

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 13:48:56 +0000

Around 20,000 council workers in Birmingham walked out on strike today, bringing many services in the city to a halt. They are protesting against the imposition of a new pay and grading structure, due to come into force on 1 April. Though it's designed to reduce wage inequalities, it could see some staff lose up to half their pay. Last-ditch talks between union leaders and the council broke down late yesterday afternoon when it became obvious no agreement would be reached.

Council allows discussions to fail - strike going ahead in Argyll and Bute 06/02/08

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 20:58:17 +0000

Discussions took place yesterday between UNISON, UNITE, and Argyll and Bute Council, over the ongoing Single Status dispute. Although some progress was made initially, and the Union side were ready and willing to continue these discussions, the Council were not prepared to proceed any further. By the time the Council had terminated the talks, agreement had not been reached on sufficient of the matters under discussion for the Union side to call off the industrial action.

Anger at council's move on single status and equal pay hits city 06/02/08

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 18:33:50 +0000

Piles of rubbish bags lay uncollected in the streets and school gates remained locked in Birmingham yesterday as a result of a 24-hour strike by council workers. The dispute is the highest profile expression so far of the rancour triggered by local authority efforts to pay men and women staff equally for equivalent work About two-thirds of local authorities have yet to agree single status/equal pay deals with staff. This means there is scope for industrial action in many other council areas, according to the Unison public sector union, which led yesterday's stoppage

Council strikes 'could continue' 06/02/08

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 18:31:49 +0000

Unions representing council workers have said there could be more strikes next month if a dispute over wage restructuring is not resolved. About 3,000 Birmingham City Council workers held a rally outside the council house on Tuesday as part of the industrial action

Unequal pay brings problems and pickets 06/02/08

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 07:03:21 +0000

The strike on Tuesday by council workers in Birmingham has highlighted the difficulties councils face in ending the historic inequalities in pay between men and women.According to recent statistics women are paid around 17% less than men in the same full-time jobs. In part-time jobs the difference is even more stark - an astonishing 36%.

Islanders cut off as ferries fall victim to council staff strike 06/02/08

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 07:02:13 +0000

ISLAND communities were cut off, ferries cancelled and schools shut yesterday as council workers began a three-day strike over a pay dispute. The action, by 1,500 staff at Argyll and Bute Council, is due to continue until Friday after talks between the authority and unions broke down. The dispute is over new single-status contracts which alter pay and conditions. Among those supporting the strike were ferrymen and staff at council-owned piers, meaning some ferries could not operate.

Council nears regraded jobs deal 05/02/08

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 21:13:56 +0000

Stirling Council has said a deal has been reached with local unions over the controversial Single Status Agreement. About 3,500 staff are affected by the move which could lead to drastic changes in pay and conditions. Despite the claim, a spokesman for the GMB Scotland union, which has been involved in negotiations, said the council's announcement was premature.

Single status deal will not bring equality 05/02/08

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 18:57:48 +0000

Single status was sold to council workers across Britain as a deal that would bring equal pay for women. But for all the talk of equality, the Birmingham deal would mean 110 women losing more than £10,000 a year. Across the council, there are twice as many women as men facing pay cuts. The picture for those who will get pay rises is also pretty bleak. Over 3,000 women are due to gain an increase of less than £99 a year roughly £1.50 a week after tax.

Council strike in Birmingham shuts down city 05/02/08

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 18:56:31 +0000

Across Birmingham council workers gathered on Tuesday morning to strike and protest against wage cuts. Up to 20,000 workers joined the biggest strike in the city in 30 years. The council’s attempt to cut wages in the name of equal pay had backfired.

GMB Welcomes Extra Government Funding For Equal Pay In Local Government 05/02/08

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 18:42:43 +0000

Reacting to the statement today by the Government on additional funding the 600,000 strong GMB welcomed the news that councils will be able to use extra funding to help meet the costs of introducing equal pay. John Healey, Minister for local government, has said that councils can apply for additional borrowing in 2008 on top of £500 million that was granted in 2007.

Birmingham City Council hit by massive Single Status strike 05/02/08

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 15:28:41 +0000

Over 3,000 workers have rallied in the city centre to protest against BCC imposing draconian pay cuts on it's workforce. They gathered outside the Town Hall after their walkout led to the closure of more than 120 schools and dozens of libraries and leisure centres. There is widespread anger at the authority's decision to impose it's single status pay structure upon the workforce. More than 4,000 staff face a wage cut - with some claiming it could slash their pay by up to £18,000 a year.

Council workers launch strike 05/02/08

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 15:26:12 +0000

Hundreds of council workers embroiled in a dispute with their employers over a proposed new pay system and conditions are going on strike. The three-day action by 1,500 employees at Argyll and Bute Council is expected to bring disruption to transport systems and public services. Unions representing the workers said talks with the local authority had broken down.

Staffordshire Unions to ballot members over single status proposals 04/02/08

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 15:22:12 +0000

COUNCIL bosses have welcomed a decision by trade unions to ballot members over whether to approve job evaluation proposals. Staffordshire County Council said the ballot takes the authority an important step closer to collective agreement to implement single status pay in April this year.

Council strike to disrupt services in Birmingham 04/02/08

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 15:19:53 +0000

Public services in Birmingham are expected to be severely disrupted tomorrow as local authority trade unions stage a one-day strike. More than 20,000 city council employees have been ordered to stay at home in protest at a pay and grading review which will see just over 4,000 staff suffer a wage cut, some by more than £16,000 a year.

UNISON members will decide on Aberdeen Single Status 02/02/08

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 11:53:30 +0000

Aberdeen City UNISON, the largest union within Aberdeen City Council today reinforced the message that its members will decide, by postal ballot, whether Aberdeen City Council's latest proposals to implement Single Status are acceptable or not.

Main Argyll & Bute union moves to three days strike 02/02/08

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 11:51:52 +0000

Over 1500 Argyll & Bute Council staff are to strike for three days next week in the continuing dispute over the council's attempts to tear up agreements and impose cuts to staff conditions, UNISON, the union representing most Argyll & Bute council staff, said today.

Argyll & Bute strike against pay cuts 02/02/08

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 11:47:05 +0000

More than 1,500 staff at Argyll & Bute council in western Scotland are to strike for three days next week in a continuing dispute over attempts to tear up agreements and impose cuts to staff conditions. The action by UNISON members follows two earlier rounds of action by members who withdrew standby services, and took selective strike action.

Equal pay blow for male staff 01/02/08

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 15:24:04 +0000

Male cleaners, home-helps and catering staff were dealt a major blow today in their bid to receive a fair-pay deal from Edinburgh City council. Workers were originally refused payments offered to their female colleagues because sex discrimination laws do not apply to men, although councillors admitted this was unfair and demanded an investigation. However, legal experts have now insisted the council cannot make offers to its male workers under existing UK laws.

Gritter crews join strike action 01/02/08

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 15:23:04 +0000

Argyll and Bute Council has urged drivers to take extra care on the area's roads after gritting crews joined strike action. The dispute over single status pay cuts, which involves hundreds of members of the Unison union, has also disrupted the Dunoon to Gourock ferry service.

Female school staff in pay claim 01/02/08

Fri, 1 Feb 2008 15:03:59 +0000

THOUSANDS of women workers in Cumbria’s schools are set to join a new wave of equal pay claims which unions say are likely to cost tens of millions of pounds. The women include teaching assistants, school dinner ladies and lollipop ladies. More than 1,000 of the women have already lodged employment tribunal claims against Cumbria County Council, with a further 2,000 expected to follow suit.

EQUAL WAGE BATTLE RAGES ON AS STAFF FACE CUTS 31/01/08

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:19:42 +0000

Aberdeen Council bosses were today facing another showdown with staff over equal pay. Union bosses claim "alarm bells" are ringing after it emerged some workers faced losing thousands of pounds. The threat came despite council claims that many more staff will see their pay increase. Letters detailing the equal pay settlements have been sent to homes of Aberdeen City Council employees. Some staff were reportedly in tears as they found out their new deals, with some losing up to £8,000.

Council in limbo as strike hits services 31/01/08

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:18:31 +0000

Unions have vowed to cripple services in Argyll and Bute as the controversy over the single status pay agreement continues. Both Unison and Unite — The Transport and General Workers’ Union — are staging industrial action over changes to terms and conditions. After talks between council chiefs and union bosses earlier this week ended in stalemate, Unite have vowed to continue to disrupt services. Workers on Rothesay Pier will be involved, which it is feared, will badly affect the island’s ferry link with the mainland.

Bin lorry fleet vandalised days before walk-out 31/01/08

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:16:02 +0000

VANDALS wrecked seven bin lorries after they cut cables, hoses and pipes. Around £14,000 damage was done to the vehicles, which were in a council depot in Helensburgh. The action has seriously disrupted rubbish collections in Argyll and Bute. News of the damage was revealed as a 48-hour strike against the single status agreement began today across the council area.

Town hall pay revolt 31/01/08

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:14:40 +0000

COUNCIL workers have backed a rebellion over the controversial bid to end years of inequality in pay between men and women. In a move that could pave the way for strike action, union members at Blackburn with Darwen Council have voted against wage changes that would see more than 1,000 workers' salaries slashed. The vote came as it was revealed that 41 per cent of men working for the council were facing pay cuts ranging from nominal amounts to up to £15,000.

Birmingham council workers set to strike over pay cuts 31/01/08

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:11:03 +0000

Council workers in Birmingham will bring the city to a halt next Tuesday if their warnings over pay cuts remain unheeded by employers. UNISON is urging council leaders to sit down around the table in a last-ditch attempt to avert strike action, but said the message had so far fallen on deaf ears. The dispute is centred on a new pay and grading structure aimed at reducing wage inequalities, due to come into force on 1 April.

SINGLE STATUS LETTERS SENT OUT 30/01/08

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:13:38 +0000

Letters were yesterday sent to around 9,000 Aberdeen City Council employees outlining proposals for a new deal on single status and equal pay. The council's first attempt to introduce the scheme in 2005 caused controversy, with staff conducting widespread protests. The three trade unions representing employees - Unison, the GMB and Unite (T &GWU) - intend to ballot members affected by the proposals to determine their thoughts.

Discussions in bid to stop strike 30/01/08

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:09:21 +0000

Union leaders and council chiefs are meeting to try and avert a strike in a row over how workers' pay bands are being restructured. About 20,000 workers at Birmingham City Council have voted for the industrial action after the authority announced a pay review. Union leaders said that in the worst cases individual staff could lose up to £18,000 a year under the plans.

20,000 Birmingham council staff to strike over pay 30/01/08

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:07:26 +0000

More than 20,000 Birmingham City Council workers have been ordered out on strike next week at the start of an escalating campaign of industrial action against a controversial pay and grading review. Five unions voted for the one-day stoppage on February 5 - to coincide with a meeting of the full city council. The action could close schools, leisure centres and crematoria. Dustbins may not be emptied, streets could go uncleaned and road repairs may be suspended.

Women’s back pay claims could cost council £20m 29/01/08

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:48:32 +0000

EQUAL pay claims from women fighting to have their salaries brought in line with men’s have reached nearly £20m at Gwynedd council, the Daily Post can reveal. Political leaders fear financial difficulties and job cuts ahead if the county is forced to hand over back-pay to more than 2,000 women.

Equal pay costs in county could reach £40m 29/01/08

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:45:53 +0000

The costs of equal pay claims in Northumberland could reach £40m, county councillors have been told. The pay claims have been brought by more than 1,000 workers who, backed by their trade unions, are pushing for men and women to receive equal pay for work of equal value.

Birmingham City council staff vote to strike 29/01/08

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:44:28 +0000

Some 20,000 council workers in Birmingham have voted to go on strike in a row over pay restructuring. Staff at the city council were balloted over industrial action after the council announced it was imposing it's single status pay structure on the workforce. Unions claim some people could lose as much as £18,000 per year, life altering amounts for the workers affected.

Union steps up pay strike action 29/01/08

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:43:22 +0000

Council staff in Argyll and Bute will strike for a further three days as part of an ongoing pay dispute. Unite members will walk out on 5, 6 and 7 February. The union said the action would disrupt "vital services" including the Rothesay ferry. Discontinuous strike action is ongoing through the region and affecting services from home care to cleansing.

Strike action over single status at Argyle and Bute Council

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:58:45 +0000

Public services could be badly affected next week after council workers threatened to strike over the single status pay dispute. Angry union members voted to implement the work to rule policy earlier this month but say they will go a step further if council bosses fail to join them for talks to hammer out a better deal over wage inequalities.

Council workers in strike ballot after talks 'hit brick wall' 26/01/08

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:56:04 +0000

Council services in East Lothian face major disruption next month following a deadlock in negotiations between the authority and trade unions over ‘single status’. The council is seeking to impose the new single status pay structure on the workforce.

Action at Argyll and Bute over local government pay deal 23/01/08

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:55:32 +0000

Hundreds of workers at Argyll and Bute council are striking and working to rule over their single status pay deal. Members of the Unison and Unite unions say that industrial action is the only way to persuade the council to reconsider its imposition of the pay grading structure. Some workers stand to lose between £5,000 and £6,000 a year under the council’s single status deal.

Coventry Council slammed over pay claim legal fees 23/01/08

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:53:41 +0000

A COVENTRY city councillor has hit out at the authority for spending £747,000 on lawyers during the row over equal pay for its workers. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance Coun Tony O’Neill revealed the figures at a recent council meeting, following a question from Socialist group leader Dave Nellist. He said that £12,000 was spent in 2005/06, £389,000 in 2006/07 and £346,000 so far this year, giving a total of £747,000.

Birmingham ballot over imposition of single status 23/01/08

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:49:51 +0000

Thousands of council workers in Birmingham are balloting for strike action against the imposition of their single status pay deal. Some of the council’s lowest paid workers are having their wages slashed. Thousands are losing money in some cases up to £35,000 per year. Workers in the Unison, Unite, Ucatt and GMB unions are all being balloted.

Birmingham City Council defends HR role in equal pay dispute 19/01/08

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:06:36 +0000

Under-fire Birmingham City Council has defended the role of its HR professionals in the ongoing equal pay dispute. Albert Bore, leader of the opposition Labour party, said that staff were "very unhappy" with the department as they prepared to strike over pay cuts.

Council staff to vote on pay deal 19/01/08

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:04:06 +0000

UP to 3,500 council workers will vote on whether to accept a new pay deal from Inverclyde’s largest employer next month. Many workers have had their jobs regraded under the single status pay agreement. But new terms and conditions, including changes to public holidays, changes to unsociable hours allowances and the abolition of long-service awards, are also part of the new package.

Pay storm rivals in cash plea to Brown 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:29:39 +0000

UNION bosses and city human resources chief Alan Rudge, now locked in a bitter row over council salaries, are to join forces in a desperate plea to No.10. They are heading to London to demand Government money to sort out the costly dispute over equal pay. The council has been hit with a £160 million bill to settle equal pay claims of thousands of women care assistants, cooks and cleaners.

Birmingham Labour group will back Single Status strike 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:28:07 +0000

Thousands of Birmingham council workers threatening strike action over the imposition of single status pay cuts have been told by the city's Labour boss: "We will support you." Opposition leader Sir Albert Bore made the firm pledge at a huge rally in the city over plans to cut pay and terminate contracts.

Council workers take to the streets in protest over plans 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:15:12 +0000

HUNDREDS of council workers took to the streets of Birmingham yesterday to protest at plans to downgrade jobs and wages. Care workers, administration staff, architects and rat-catchers were among the crowds opposing a new pay deal which they claim will leave them out of pocket. The rally, held in Victoria Square, attracted almost 400 employees angered by the proposals which they say do not tackle years of wage inequalities.

Council worker increases just £1.50 a week 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:13:03 +0000

MORE than 3,000 "winners" in the new Birmingham City Council pay deal would need a Lottery win for their rise to make a difference to their lives, it was claimed today. According to official figures 3,010 women, mainly cleaners at the city's care homes, leisure centres and offices, will be getting increases of up to £99 a year - less than £1.50 per week after tax.

Work to rule to start in Argyle and Bute Council 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:47:34 +0000

Hundreds of workers at Argyle and Bute council are to embark on a programme of working to rule. Members of the unions Unison and Unite believe that industrial action is the only way to persuade Argyll and Bute Council to reconsider its imposition of a new pay grading structure. The unions say some members stand to lose between £5000 and £6000 annually under the council's "divisive" Single Status proposals

Can't pay, won't pay? 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:43:47 +0000

Of all the cases that you might expect the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to back, that of a group of women - mainly caterers and care workers - striving to secure equal pay with their male cohorts seems an obvious one, right? After all, there are few more significant markers of equality than pay, and, besides that, pay equality is written definitively into the law.

Council seeks loan to fund Single Status

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:39:32 +0000

Staffordshire County Council plans to borrow £50m in order to offer more than 8,000 staff a £1,000 pay rise. But 1,000 staff would lose money and 2,500 would see their salaries remain the same from 2011 if the scheme is approved. The council has been talking with unions after previous plans, which would have seen many more staff losing money, were scrapped. Angry workers had protested about the proposals last year.

Glasgow refuse workers strike over single status 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:37:37 +0000

Refuse workers in Glasgow took strike action last week over their single status deal. Nine mechanics on the backshift at the Polmadie refuse depot are in dispute over the council’s controversial review of staff’s pay and conditions. Another 16 workers refused to cross the picket line. Then 40 cleansing vehicle drivers, who work from other council depots, refused to work. Willie McGonigle, the Unite union’s branch secretary, said, We asked for talks with management but they refused.

Anger at single status pay cut plans in Birmingham 16/01/08

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:36:34 +0000

Over 2,000 workers crowded into Victoria Square in Birmingham last Saturday to protest against council plans to downgrade thousands of jobs. The rally showed the determination and anger of workers from all sectors of the council not to be intimidated into accepting planned pay cuts as part of a single status deal.

Women workers appeal over equal pay 15/01/08

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:57:42 +0000

A test case that could affect thousands of low-paid women workers struggling to get the same pay as male colleagues began in the Court of Appeal today. The case involves two groups of women working for local councils in the North East but the outcome could apply to women working for every council and health authority in England and Scotland.

Councils lodge appeal in pay row 15/01/08

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:55:07 +0000

Two Teesside councils have launched an appeal against equal pay rulings affecting hundreds of workers. Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland Councils are at the Court of Appeal, after employment tribunals ruled they had discriminated against women staff.

Equality backpay comes at a price 15/01/08

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:52:35 +0000

When an invoice for £650,000 landed on Phil Jones's desk last October, it was something of a shock. The headteacher of Oakham primary school in Sandwell soon discovered that his wasn't the only school reeling. Other headteachers in the borough had received official brown envelopes too, and the total sum being demanded amounted to £55m

NHS faces landmark case on equal pay agreement 14/01/08

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:04:43 +0000

The NHS is facing a landmark test case that could pave the way for more than 800,000 equal pay claims, which will run parallel to recent high-profile claims against local authorities. The precedent-setting case will attempt to prove that the implementation of the 2004 equal pay deal, Agenda for Change (AfC), was flawed, as the new salaries have not reflected skills and knowledge but were based instead on pre-AfC salaries, which were discriminatory.

Council services suffer as back-pay claims mount 14/01/08

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:02:55 +0000

Town halls are freezing posts, making service cuts, raising council tax and mortgaging assets to fund £3 billion in compensation payments for 700,000 equal pay claims. Schools are having to make cuts and the issue now extends to the NHS, where compensation could reach £5 billion.

Levelling pay up not downwards is the way to close the gender wage gap 14/01/08

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:01:50 +0000

How can an equality watchdog claim to be doing its job when it withdraws support for thousands of underpaid women on the eve of a crucial hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice?

Dustworkers stage single status protest in Waltham Forest 13/01/07

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:00:53 +0000

Around 40 dustcarts and other vehicles were gathered outside Waltham Forest town hall in east London today (Thursday) as workers held an unofficial protest over the effects of a single status deal

Birmingham Council workers protest over pay 13/01/08

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 08:57:39 +0000

Hundreds of council staff have held a protest about plans to restructure pay. The Birmingham workers staged a rally in the city's Victoria Square, outside the council offices. Birmingham City Council is holding a review of wages paid to its 41,000 workers amidst union claims that some staff will be left worse off.

Aberdeen Council staff to receive single status distress compensation payment? 11/01/08

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:08:35 +0000

Up to 1,000 council workers could receive payments for the psychological distress of having their job downgraded. The one-off compensation payments of at least £500 would be made to staff at Aberdeen City Council who are downgraded and put on "protected salaries".

Town hall strike threat as men face equality pay cuts 11/01/08

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:07:23 +0000

Public sector unions are threatening strike action over equal pay deals for council workers after proposed cuts of up to £35,000 for thousands of male staff, The Times has learnt. Unison and Unite, the largest public sector unions, are balloting members in Birmingham over industrial action because nearly 5,000 staff face salary cuts to fund rises for low-paid women.

Decision held up on equal pay for men 11/01/08

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:05:23 +0000

DOZENS of male cleaners, home-helps and catering staff hoping to receive a fair-pay deal from Edinburgh city council will have to wait until next month to discover their fate. In October, councillors backed down over a stand-off that would have meant around 50 workers being denied compensation offered to female colleagues.

WALTHAM FOREST: Workers rubbish pay cut 11/01/08

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:03:47 +0000

BIN men and women descended on the Town Hall to protest at proposed pay cuts of up to £8,000 each. Refuse workers fear they will not be able to pay their mortgages or look after their children if the cuts go ahead, and are threatening to strike. Codenamed Operation Takeover, the unofficial action saw around 20 wagons surround the fountain of the building in Forest Road, Walthamstow, blocking exits with horns blaring and lights flashing for one hour this morning.

Strike hits city’s bin collections 11/01/08

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:02:29 +0000

RUBBISH collections in part of Glasgow were hit when drivers took unofficial strike action. Nine mechanics on the backshift at the Polmadie refuse depot are in dispute over the council's controversial review of staff's pay and conditions. They held a ballot and yesterday formed an official picket outside the depot.

The fight for equal pay for women: Britain’s Guardian defends union’s dirty deals 09/01/08

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 21:59:54 +0000

The Guardian newspaper began the New Year by publishing two January 2 articles and an editorial on women workers employed by local authorities fighting for equal pay. Its sympathies, however, were not with the poorly paid women in question but, as the headlines suggest Councils face £2.8bn bill for equal pay, Fight for equality that could put jobs at risk and A deal under siege with the local authorities themselves and the trade union bureaucracy.

UNISON Kicks Off 2008 Equal Pay Campaign With 33,000 Claims 09/01/08

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 21:56:17 +0000

UNISON has kicked off its campaign to tackle the gender pay gap with a record 33,000 equal pay claims lodged against public sector employers. The union has been battling for equal pay for years and, to date, has chalked up significant pay increases for many thousands of low paid women workers.

1,400 women join battle for city council equal pay 09/01/08

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 21:52:08 +0000

More than 1,400 women at Liverpool City Council have lodged compensation claims for equal pay against the authority. The numbers were revealed in a damning report into the council’s finances by district auditor Tim Watkinson, who said the council had been slow to carry out an equal pay review it was required to implement by March, 2007.

Birmingham workers gear up to defend their pay over single status 09/01/08

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 21:50:38 +0000

Thousands of council workers in Birmingham are balloting for strike action against the imposition of a single status pay deal. Some of the council’s lowest paid workers are having their wages slashed. Thousands are losing money in some cases up to £35,000 per year. The Unison, Unite, Ucatt and GMB unions began balloting for strike action on 2 January.

Councillors back equal pay deal 08/01/08

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 18:41:39 +0000

Aberdeen councillors have backed a proposed equal pay deal for staff. The council will outline to unions on Tuesday how it intends to resolve the near decade-long row after a £10m plan was agreed

The way to achieve equal pay is through unions, not these lawyers say Prentis and Kenny

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 18:27:26 +0000

The serious accusations levelled by the no-win-no-fee lawyers at trade unions' collective approach to winning equal pay must be challenged.

Council staff to vote on strikes 04/01/08

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 16:09:24 +0000

Staff employed by Birmingham City Council are being balloted on strike action over proposed single status changes to the authority's pay structure. About 4,000 staff are to have their pay reduced, many by up to £6,000, although the council said about 45% of its 41,000 workers would receive a "considerable increase".

UNISON urges councils Re evaluate classroom assistant jobs 03/01/08

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 18:29:05 +0000

Thousands of classroom assistants across Scotland are doing work at a higher level than is being recognised by their pay, and their jobs should all be properly evaluated, said their union, UNISON. Classroom assistants are employed to do a variety of jobs in schools, including a range of jobs that are directly involved in supporting and delivering education. However they are mostly paid on the bottom pay scale for local government staff, often further cut as they are employed on term-time only contracts. And the Job Evaluation process currently being undertaken by many councils is failing to identify the true value of the work they do.

Council staff reject new pay structure 03/01/08

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 16:50:50 +0000

COUNCIL staff in Leeds have rejected a proposed new single status pay structure which would have left some workers facing pay cuts of over £120 a week.While members of Unison and the Transport and General Workers unions have accepted the new structure, those in the GMB voted to reject the deal. GMB shop stewards will meet early this month to decide their next steps in the dispute.

Fight for equality that could put jobs at risk 02/01/08

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 10:53:59 +0000

Stefan Cross Solicitors claims to have worked with 30,000 women in equal pay cases. Yesterday, one of Britain's biggest trade unions, the GMB, announced it had lodged its 25,000th equal pay claim. Unions and local authorities now say that the no-win no-fee lawyers fighting individual cases are threatening to dismantle organised negotiations to set up equal pay deals for all workers.

Collective bargaining feels the strain as no-win no-fee lawyers circle overhead 02/01/08

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 10:47:40 +0000

Council bosses across England are having to remortgage their town halls and raid reserves to meet a £2.8bn bill to fund equal pay claims under the national single status agreement. What is widely under reported is the fact that they are cutting the pay of other low paid workers, both male and female, in job evaluations, to fund the back payments for equal pay claims.

The strange case of the nonexistent local government funding cuts 31/12/07

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:02:38 +0000

You have to feel sorry for NCC, really, don’t you? Forced to cut back on wages by mean old central government, who constantly tighten the purse strings. I’m sure you’ve heard wiser heads than mine talk about it, haven’t you? So what about those funding cuts then, let’s take a look at the damage, shall we?

National Single Status e-petition goes live 31/12/07

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:37:15 +0000

Upwards of 200,000 local government employees nationally are estimated to be affected by huge and life altering pay cuts as a result of the national single status agreement. Please sign the e-petition which calls on the government to rethink equal pay and job evaluation in local government.

GMB Rounds off 2007 Lodging 25,000 Equal Pay Claims for £250M and 5% Membership Growth in Public Services 29/12/07

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:39:14 +0000

GMB today announced that it had notched up its 25,000th equal pay claim against local government and NHS employers throughout the UK. The claims which are all yet to be settled are estimated to be worth £250 million. Typically they cover women cleaners, catering workers, school support staff and admin workers who compare themselves to men in similar jobs who earn more.

GMB Union settles 25,000 pay claims 29/12/07

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:36:50 +0000

A leading union has settled its 25,000th equal pay claim against employers in local government and the NHS, worth an estimated £250 million for women workers, it was announced. The GMB said the cases covered women cleaners, catering and school support staff and clerical employees who were found to be earning less than men.

Women workers set for equality payout 29/12/07

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:35:04 +0000

HUNDREDS of women working for Warwickshire County Council are to share millions of pounds in an equal pay settlement. More than 600 care assistants and home carers have already accepted their packages - which for a full-time worker can top £7,000. The county is offering the money as recognition that the women have been unfairly paid less than men doing jobs of "equal worth".

Blackburn Council workers' are latest victims of Single Status debacle 29/12/07

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:33:08 +0000

Almost a quarter of Blackburn council's employees have been told their salaries are to be cut. The decision was broken to staff by email after Blackburn with Darwen Council bosses gave the green light to its new single status pay structure. Some workers are reporting drops of as much as £10,000 per year.

Gravediggers call off threat of strike over Christmas 22/12/07

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:18:41 +0000

Gravediggers have called off the threat of strike action averting the possibility of a backlog of burials over the holiday period. Workers claimed they would lose £2000 a year or have to work an extra seven hours a week for the same pay under the new single status conditions, but council officials were adamant that no-one would lose money.

700 lodge claims in bid for equal pay 21/12/07

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:44:44 +0000

More than 700 workers have lodged equal pay claims against Cardiff council which could lead to a multi-million- pound bill. Intense negotiations are taking place in an effort to find a settlement between the unions and the council, which has made an application for borrowing to the Welsh Assembly Government to help fund an agreement.

Rebel Birmingham Council staff told to turn up or face the sack 19/12/07

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:47:39 +0000

Birmingham Council bosses today threatened staff who refuse to accept a controversial new pay deal with the sack. The 16,000 librarians, secretaries, officers and other council staff who have either failed to reply or rejected their new contracts will be sent strong warning letters over the Christmas break. They will be told that if they turn up to work on April 1 they will be deemed to have accepted their new terms and conditions.

Birmingham Council bids to prevent 'winter of discontent' with binmen 19/12/07

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:45:15 +0000

ANGRY bin men are to be tempted with extra pay outs in a last-ditch bid by council chiefs to avert a 'winter of discontent'. City chiefs fear mass walkouts by staff in the New Year after a dispute over single status pay which could see wages cut by thousands of pounds a year.

Thousands of Birmingham Council workers snub deadline for new contracts 19/12/07

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:43:29 +0000

ALMOST seven in ten of staff offered new single status contracts by Birmingham City Council have not signed them, it emerged today. Up to 16,000 workers failed to sign and send back their new terms and conditions by the November 30 deadline, according to figures leaked to the Birmingham Mail

Pay And Grading/Equal Pay - Breakthrough For Gmb Members 19/12/07

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:39:08 +0000

GMB members support for an industrial action ballot has been highlighted as the reason for the City and County of Swansea dramatically changing its approach in a dispute with the Union over the implementation date of the new pay and grading structure and the entitlement of female employees to equal pay compensation.

STRIKE FEAR AS BINMEN THROW OUT 'BONUS' CUT 18/12/07

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:24:18 +0000

Derby's binmen are on a collision course with bosses over a threat to strip them of bonuses worth thousands of pounds a year as part of the cities's single status deal . Unions have warned that the city's 100 refuse collectors could take strike action if managers do not rethink plans for the cuts. New contracts were due to come in this week which would see binmen lose an average weekly bonus payment of nearly 90 after tax.

Single status round-up Leeds workers reject pay deal

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:56:34 +0000

Leeds council workers in the GMB union have voted two to one against a single status pay deal. Bill Chard, regional officer for the GMB union, told Socialist Worker. The vote was 1,004 against acceptance and 529 for. It shows that very many people are angry about this deal.

Leeds City Council pulls out of vital Single Status meeting with GMB 18/12/07

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:54:16 +0000

Leeds City Council has cancelled a vital negotiating meeting with GMB negotiators, citing legal advice as the reason. The meeting was intended to progress the single status pay dispute following GMB members rejection of the Council’s current proposals which GMB believes would leave many workers £6,000 worse off and not address equal pay.

Gravediggers’ pay dispute threatens to disrupt Christmas burials 18/12/07

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:51:33 +0000

Bereaved families could be affected by a gravediggers' strike in Glasgow which will leave only three days for burials over the festive season. More than 20 workers are expected to take part in the seven days of strikes in protest at a city council review which will leave them with a 13% pay cut unless they work the equivalent of an extra day per week.

£23m council back pay bill 16/12/07

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:46:12 +0000

Taxpayers in Wolverhampton will shell out c23 million in back pay for nearly 2,000 council workers in the city . Some schools may be left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket after bosses were told they have to compensate underpaid caterers and cleaners from their own budgets. One school is allegedly facing a bill of c264,000.

Coventry Human Resources Manager faces Equal Pay Tribunal grilling 15/12/07

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:30:35 +0000

A tribunal judging 650 equal pay claims against Coventry City Council heard from a top council boss yesterday. Janet Sutton, human resources manager, was grilled over how much she knew about a £140-a-week bonus paid to binmen from 1999. The case is to decide whether hundreds of low-paid women such as cleaners and care assistants were unfairly paid compared to men.

Workers boo 'lead balloon' councillors 15/12/07

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:29:37 +0000

"WE'VE GOT a grudge with councillor Rudge," was one of the slogans displayed on placards by several hundred angry Birmingham city council workers. They protested against the council's attempts to impose a 'single status' pay deal that threatens huge pay cuts (in some cases as much as £18,000 a year). Rudge is the Tory 'cabinet minister' for Human Resources and 'Equal Opportunities'

Don't sign up to reduced conditions - Council staff told 13/12/07

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:19:16 +0000

Staff at East Lothian Council are being urged not to sign up to a new package of Single Status pay and conditions when these are offered to them in January by the council. UNISON has rejected the new pay and grading model proposed by the council today, which it says, has elements in it that have not been discussed with the unions, and the package as a whole has not been assessed for equality impact.

Leeds GMB members reject single status deal 13/12/07

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:17:47 +0000

LEEDS COUNCIL workers in the GMB union have voted two to one against a single status pay deal. Bill Chard, the GMB regional officer, told Socialist Worker, The vote was 1,004 against acceptance and 529 for. It shows that very many people are angry about this deal.

Website to air wage cut fury 12/12/07

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:24:37 +0000

Devastated council workers in Wolverhampton have set up their own website to vent their fury over wage cuts which will leave many thousands of pounds out of pocket. Around 9,500 employees at Wolverhampton Council were told this month whether they will be paid less as part of a major national salary shake-up known as single status, aimed at ending pay inequalities. Some distraught staff claimed they faced a drop of up to £11,000 per year and could lose their house as a result.

Call to reject new pay structure 12/12/07

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:00:37 +0000

UNION leaders have urged staff at a local authority to reject plans for a new single status pay structure. Unison say the new grading model at East Lothian Council involves cutting weekend payments, and moving workers to a seven-day week.

Council defends new pay proposals 12/12/07

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:58:36 +0000

Scottish Borders Council has defended new wage structures which would see hundreds of workers face a cut in pay. Letters have been sent out to the authority's employees explaining the new salary rates which could affect about 5,000 workers from April. It is part of "single status" plans to address equal pay issues.

Female workers given council tax warning 12/12/07

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:57:19 +0000

FEMALE workers at the city council who receive equal pay offers have been warned that outstanding council tax payments will be deducted from their lump sum. The council is offering around £14.5 million to settle equal pay cases brought by 3000 women in jobs such as cleaning, caring and catering.

Angus Council workers threatened with the sack over imposition of Single Status pay cuts 10/12/07

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:09:51 +0000

Angus Council employees could face losing their jobs if they do not sign up to a new single status pay and conditions package. Council chief executive David Sawers has issued the workforce with an ultimatum e-mail .

Job Evaluation - the story so far 09/12/07

Sun, 9 Dec 2007 11:22:26 +0000

Staffordshire County Council is to discuss equal pay for its 28,000 workers. The issue is known as ‘Job Evaluation’. But what is it? And why is it happening?

Angry Birmingham Council workers protest at pay cuts 08/12/07

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:30:30 +0000

HUNDREDS of angry city council workers took to the streets to demonstrate against salary cuts of thousands of pounds a year. About 500 workers took part in the lunchtime rally ahead of the monthly full city council meeting. They were in a defiant mood as they vowed to ballot for strike action and demanded the council's human resources chief, Coun Alan Rudge, back down.

Striking care staff end two months of action 07/12/07

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 06:59:43 +0000

A two-month strike which shut day care centres for adults with learning and physical disabilities across Glasgow has ended. A narrow majority of the 250-plus social care staff, all members of Unison, voted yesterday to return to work after an offer by the city council on pay and gradings was accepted.

GMB To Ballot 5,500 Members At Leeds City Council Over Equal Pay 06/12/07

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 22:14:08 +0000

GMB recommends rejection as Council’s offer does not provide equal pay and 2,000 workers lose out.5,500 GMB members who work for Leeds City Council will receive a ballot paper this week on the Council's proposals for a new pay and grading system designed to tackle inequality in pay. As GMB believes that the Council's proposal will not provide equal pay across pay grades it is recommending that its members reject the offer.

EQUAL PAY ROW IN COURT 05/12/07

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 19:04:37 +0000

Lawyers have been in court thrashing out the details of an equal pay case against Staffordshire County Council.Representatives from both the local authority and Birmingham-based law firm Carvers attended yesterday's pre-hearing review in Shrewsbury. The aim of the hearing was to discuss issues raised by the council concerning evidence used to support pay claims being brought by 40 women.

Birmingham City Council workers to stage demonstration 05/12/07

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 18:50:50 +0000

One of the biggest mass demonstrations seen in Birmingham for years was being staged by city council workers this afternoon. Trade Unions were expecting up to 1,000 council employees to pack Victoria Square in the city at lunchtime in a protest over swingeing pay cuts.

Massive pay cuts looming in Wolverhampton single status regrading exercise 05/12/07

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 18:49:34 +0000

Devastated workers at Wolverhampton Council have described scenes at a Single Status meeting as "carnage" with staff going home in tears upon learning of huge pay cuts. It is expected that £11,000 will be slashed off some wage packets.

Women tell of fury at equal pay shock 05/12/07

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 18:47:36 +0000

TWO former care workers from Warwickshire are angry they are missing out on pursuing equal pay claims because they did not know their rights. Barbara Carter and Veda Selway believe they would be in line for thousands of pounds' compensation if they had been informed of their rights.

Council staff banned from using pay cut website 03/12/07

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 15:40:08 +0000

Birmingham City Council was at the centre of a bitter censorship row last night after officials decided to ban staff from accessing a website set up to exchange information about a controversial programme of pay cuts. An unknown employee in the planning department is the brains behind www.birminghamsinglestatus.co.uk – which invites more than 40,000 workers to write about the impact of the council's pay and grading review.

Council agrees equal pay settlement 03/12/07

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 15:28:01 +0000

SWANSEA Council has become the latest Welsh authority to make a multi-million-pound financial offer to female staff who claim they have missed out on bonus payments. Following a series of legal rulings, councils face massive bills to compensate workers who have been systematically underpaid for years.

Union suspends classroom strike 03/12/07

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 15:26:29 +0000

Members of the Nipsa union have voted to suspend their strike in the dispute over classroom assistants' pay. Members will take part in industrial action on Monday, which was voted on at the weekend, however the overall strike will cease from Tuesday

Nipsa on its own following deal on strike 01/12/07

Sat, 1 Dec 2007 18:24:42 +0000

Special schools across Northern Ireland were last night waiting to find out if Nipsa classroom assistants plan to continue with strike action.

Nipsa to ballot members over management offer 30/11/07

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:06:09 +0000

Striking classroom assistants are to be asked to consider the current offer by management after Nipsa's strike committee agreed to ballot members caught up in the long running dispute. The public service union has said that a decision was taken to consult with members as it has been claimed that there is overwhelming support from classroom assistants for the offer being made by employers

Leicester City Council employees launch online Single Status petition 30/11/07.

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:44:13 +0000

Leicester City Council are proposing to dramatically cut the salaries of various staff including officers, technicians and low-paid workers as part of their single status job evaluation processes. Hundreds of staff are being asked to accept pay cuts ranging from £4,000 to £8,000 per year - around 20-30% of their salaries. These massive pay cuts are unacceptable and will cause severe stress and hardship to the individuals concerned.

Birmingham City Council bars workers from accessing Single Status website 30/11/07

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:28:29 +0000

Birmingham City Council has blocked access to a website giving valuable information on Job Evaluation to it's employees. The website birminghamsinglestatus.co.uk has been set up by an employee of the council to help people who are adversely affected by the council's Single Status pay and grading review. Could this attempt at suppressing the truth be linked to the fact that BCC's job evaluation process is fatally flawed.

Single Status strike ballot 27/11/07

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:13:54 +0000

Some 1,500 workers in the Unison union at Argyll and Bute council are to hold a strike ballot over single status. Last month council workers were issued with new contracts, but Unison and other trade unions recommended their members did not sign them. Last week those workers who did not sign their contracts were issued with dismissal notices from the council.

Mansfield and Ashfield council workers to suffer £8,000 pay cuts in Single Status deal 27/11/07

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:11:18 +0000

Low-Paid county council workers across Mansfield and Ashfield will see a pay rise next year after union members voted to accept new wage proposals. Unfortunately these rises will be funded at the expense of about 3,500 council workers who will have their wages slashed by between £2,000 and £8,000 under the move.

Class assistants back on strike 27/11/07

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:09:44 +0000

Classroom assistants belonging to the Nipsa union are set to go on strike again despite three other unions ruling out industrial action. On Monday, workers belonging to the Unison union voted to accept an offer from employers. More than three-quarters of them voted to accept the deal on offer, which adds an extra £15m to compensate for changes in work conditions.

Support the Northern Ireland classroom assistants 25/11/07.

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:09:56 +0000

CLASSROOM ASSISTANTS in Northern Ireland are continuing their strike action against attacks on their pay and conditions. Members of the union representing the majority of the workers, NIPSA, voted by 93.4% in favour of strike action. In spite of a dirty tricks campaign by the employers, the strikes have been well supported by other workers and by parents

£5million equal pay/single status bill for Wolverhampton city schools 25/11/07

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:08:09 +0000

Headteachers will be responsible for finding the money from their own budgets, raising fears it could affect the education of children in the city. Some staff, including dinner ladies and cleaners, are set to earn windfalls of up to £10,000 in back pay after a national legal ruling that certain workers were not being paid enough.

Unions 'in the dock' over equal pay fight for Warwickshire women 22/11/07

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:52:55 +0000

No-win, no-fee lawyers say they are preparing to sue trade unions over their handling of equal pay claims for female workers in Warwickshire. Action4Equality claims unions didn't do enough to protect the interests of low-paid women employed by Warwickshire County Council.

School assistants picket Stormont 21/11/07

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:54:03 +0000

Hundreds of classroom assistants have been protesting at Stormont. This is the second day of strike action this week and they plan to continue to go on strike for two days each week, at least until Christmas

Birmingham council workers fight pay cuts 20/11/07

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:40:25 +0000

On 7 November Birmingham city council workers held a demonstration outside the council house in Birmingham city centre in protest against the council's plans to force through its gender pay equalisation plans which will mean workers being subjected to pay cuts of thousands of pounds.

Classroom Assistants in Northern Ireland continue strike action 19/11/07

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:35:29 +0000

More than 3,000 classroom assistants across NI are to resume strike action over pay and conditions. Nipsa union members are to take two days of action each week until at least Christmas.

Birmingham City Council pay cuts helpline 'in meltdown' 17/11/07

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:24:21 +0000

Union and city council telephones were said to be "in meltdown" earlier this week after thousands of staff had their controversial Single Status pay cuts confirmed. Information packs containing new salary levels and contracts have been dropping on the doormats of the city's 40,000 staff affected by the new pay and grading system.

Learning things the hard way 14/11/07

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:47:25 +0000

THE equal pay crisis dominating the public sector is affecting almost every section of the workforce in one way or another. Among those at the front line in the fight for equality and recognition are thousands of classroom assistants across the country who claim they are undervalued and underpaid for the increasingly complex tasks they are being asked to perform.

Male cleaner in equal pay discrimination row 14/11/07

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:40:04 +0000

A Thurso school cleaner claims he is being unfairly penalised in a union campaign to win equal pay for women manual workers in the Highland Council. Davie Lindsay fully supports the long-running women's equal pay claim but sees no reason why it should result in him and his male colleagues losing out.

Boards bid to clarify offer as Nipsa is still saying no single status deal 14/11/07

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:56:44 +0000

The Education and Library Boards today moved to clarify confusion surrounding the offer being made to classroom assistants. Thousands of Nipsa members are expected to return to the picket line tomorrow after voting against accepting management's latest offer.

Coventry Tories urged to reject big pay rises 13/11/07

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:08:41 +0000

Councillors in Coventry are being urged to vote against a massive pay rise. Tory council leader Ken Taylor wants his group to reject above-inflation pay increases recommended by an outside panel. He doesn't want councillors to be seen as greedy when staff are still in dispute over the single-status pay package which will see huge pay cuts for sectors of the workforce and the council faces a gap of between £8 million and £13million on next year's budget.

Strike ballot over single status deals in Swansea 13/11/07

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:06:11 +0000

Workers in the GMB union at Swansea council began a strike ballot this week over a single status pay deal. Jeff Burns, GMB organiser, said, “The council would soon take action if their staff, as citizens of Swansea were withholding council tax.

Cumbrian women celebrate 12/11/07

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:06:48 +0000

Almost 1,500 low paid UNISON women members in Cumbria are celebrating today after the Employment Appeal Tribunal upheld their pay discrimination claim and rejected the employer’s appeal. The women, who work as care assistants, home carers, kitchen assistants, cooks and night care assistants won their claim of pay discrimination at a tribunal in March 2006, but Cumbria County Council, appealed that decision.

Cumbria equal pay ruling upheld 12/11/07

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:04:18 +0000

About 1,500 care workers are a step closer to sharing up to £50m in equality compensation. Cumbria County Council appealed against a 2006 ruling that female staff should receive back pay equivalent to bonuses paid to male workers.

Tribunals see surge in equal pay claims 12/11/07

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:03:10 +0000

Public sector cases heard by employment appeal tribunals have risen sharply, driven partly by an increase in equal pay claims pursued by no-win, no-fee lawyers, according to research published on Tuesday.

Letters go out over pay cut plan 12/11/07

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:01:27 +0000

Thousands of Birmingham City Council staff were expected to receive letters from today telling them their salaries will be cut by thousands of pounds. The Council is seeking to impose it's new Single Status pay structure on it's employees. Some workers are expected to receive pay cuts in the region of £6,000 per year.

100 male council workers claim sex bias 11/11/07

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:08:52 +0000

MORE than 100 male workers employed by one of Scotland's biggest councils have lodged claims alleging sex discrimination against the authority, it was revealed yesterday. The employees of Aberdeen City Council, including blacksmiths, electricians, painters and scaffolders, claim they have lost out to female colleagues on pay rates and holiday entitlements.

Birmingham City Council human resources chief forced to run for cover by angry Single Status protestors 11/11/07

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:17:35 +0000

Birmingham's human resources chief was forced to run for cover when 500 angry workers demonstrated over Single Status pay cuts. Coun Alan Rudge walked into the union organised rally as he emerged from the Council House to film an interview. Hundreds of furious council workers, from white collar office staff to road workers and street sweepers were protesting at proposed salary cuts of up to £20,000 under a new pay and grading structure set to be imposed on the workforce next week.

Ulster School helpers' strike to resume 09/11/07

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 21:04:37 +0000

Thousands of Northern Ireland classroom assistants are to resume their strike action next week. The Nipsa union's 3,000 members will be out on picket lines two days a week until Christmas, and many special schools will be affected.

Pay offer could be imposed on Nipsa 08/11/07

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 21:21:59 +0000

The pay offer being made to Ulster's classroom assistants could be imposed on Nipsa members if the other three unions involved in negotiations sign up for the deal, it has emerged.

Furious Birmingham Council staff lobby bosses over pay cuts 06/11/07

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 21:53:39 +0000

Furious council workers were this afternoon lobbying city chiefs over the imposition of massive Single Status pay cuts. The workers, backed by unions, were in Victoria Square to show their anger to the city's 120 councillors gathering for a full council meeting. Some of the council’s lowest paid workers are having their wages slashed.

Birmingham council workers fight massive single status pay cuts 06/11/07

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 21:39:53 +0000

Some 40,000 workers in Birmingham are heading into battle with the council over the single status pay deal. Some of the council’s lowest paid workers are having their wages slashed. In one case a worker was called into a meeting to be told of their pay cut and had to be taken to hospital after collapsing in shock.

School funds raided to finance local authority single status/equal pay claims 05/11/07

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 19:08:33 +0000

Children's education is set to become the next victim of the Single Status driven equal pay crisis as local authorities resort to desperate measures to fund multi-million pound bills. Schools run by Sandwell council in the West Midlands face slashed budgets and possible closure after being asked to pay up to £2.2m each in back pay to staff.

Council Workers Balloting For Strike Action 05/11/07

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 18:34:18 +0000

1,381 workers employed by the City & County of Swansea are to be balloted for industrial action in furtherance of their equal pay dispute.

New threat of walkout at Birmingham City Council 03/11/07

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 19:20:11 +0000

Thousands of white collar Birmingham council workers are joining city binmen and threatening industrial action. It is over a controversial Single Status pay deal which the Council is seeking to impose. The workers claim the new grading structure is robbing the low paid and handing wage rises to already highly paid fat cats

No classroom strike next week 03/11/07

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 07:00:57 +0000

Nipsa members voted to take further industrial action Classroom assistants will not go on strike next week, although one union has not ruled out further industrial action in the following week.Nipsa, which represents almost half of them, balloted its members on Thursday on whether to accept a pay offer or resume their industrial action.

Unison members in Hampshire vote to accept Single Status deal 03/11/07

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 06:50:02 +0000

A controversial and divisive new pay structure at Hampshire County Council will be put in place after a ballot of union members showed overwhelming support. Unison members, the biggest union involved, voted 79 per cent in favour. It means the new Single Status pay and grading structure for 27,000 staff will start next February, backdated to April 2007.

£5,000 pay cuts looming for Leicester City Council workers 03/11/07

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 06:48:39 +0000

A worker from Leicester City Council has e-mailed L.U.D in a considerable state of shock and distress after he has learned from his manager of a potential loss of £5,000 per annum in the City Council's job evaluation exercise. Leicester City Council is in the early stages of implementing the Single Status agreement.

Glasgow day centre workers We are striking for essential services 31/10/07

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:38:04 +0000

Day centre workers in Glasgow are now into their third week of an indefinite strike over job evaluations and pay cuts. Two groups of workers on the picket lines told Penny Howard about what they do, and why they are on strike

UNDERPAID LEICESTERSHIRE WORKERS IN LEGAL THREAT 31/10/07

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:32:20 +0000

Hundreds of workers are threatening to take Leicestershire city council to a tribunal after rejecting a compensation deal for being underpaid for years. Staff were offered a package worth £4,000 after it emerged there was a problem over some pay grades. In many cases, women have been paid less than men for doing equivalent jobs, some for several years.

Job Evaluation in Sandwell Council is going to cost schools millions 30/10/07

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:03:46 +0000

Sandwell council are facing thousands of equal pay claims after a job evaluation exercise has shown that many of their female workers have been discriminated against in terms of their pay.

Female staff 'paid less' than men 30/10/07

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:00:45 +0000

Female staff at Highland Council are being paid less than male workers on the same grade, a union has claimed. Unison said women on manual grades had been compensated for not receiving bonuses after signing an agreement waiving certain rights.

Classroom assistants poised to strike again as talks end 30/10/07

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:59:03 +0000

Talks to stop further strikes by thousands of Ulster classroom assistants look set to fail, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today.

Glasgow daycare strikers have council on the run 29/10/07

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:30:19 +0000

Day centre workers in Glasgow have entered their second week of all-out indefinite action over a job regrading process. The strike by 220 workers in the Unison union continues to be solid. All ten day centres remained shut for the week, with 20 or 30 workers out on many of the picket lines. Strikers are angry about the single status process which has reduced the wages of the day centre workers and disregarded their qualifications.

Classroom assistants challenge the Stormont Assembly 29/10/07

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:29:02 +0000

Ten days of solid strike action has forced the employers to retreat from imposing pay cuts and the downgrading of trained staff in schools. Classroom assistants took to the streets, picket lines were in place in almost every town and village and many demonstrations have been held.

Hospital secretaries back walkout over regradings 29/10/07

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:27:22 +0000

Medical secretaries at York Hospital have moved a step closer to strike action in a long-running pay dispute. The GMB union was meeting with hospital managers on Tuesday after 98% of the 36 staff who responded to a strike ballot voted in favour of industrial action.

Glasgow Daycare Staff strike 29/10/07

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:35:21 +0000

200 Daycare Centre staff in Glasgow started indefinite strike action on Tuesday 16 October in a dispute about their grading following job evaluation results that could result in them losing thousands of pounds.

Male cleaners to take equal pay fight to Europe 29/10/07

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:32:17 +0000

The battle for equality for male cleaning staff may be taken to the European court. The Edinburgh City Council employees are being denied equal pay back payments because sex equality laws do not apply to men.

Education - Northern Ireland job evaluation strikes 29/10/07

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:30:47 +0000

Classroom assistant members of the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance began a successful campaign on pay with a one-day strike on 26 September, then 3 days the following week and then on to indefinite strike the week after. All 26 special schools in NI were closed and all 3,000 NIPSA classroom assistants remained resolute and disciplined throughout.

Mr Mops brushed aside in equal pay row 18/10/07

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:29:07 +0100

DOZENS of male cleaners and catering staff are being refused £1800 payments offered to their female colleagues - because sex discrimination laws do not apply to men. The women are being offered the pay-outs by the city council after winning a legal fight for equality with men doing similar grade jobs.

York Hospital De-Recognises GMB In Row Over Medical Secretaries Pay Grading 18/10/07

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:24:28 +0100

52 Medical Secretaries asked GMB to hold an industrial action ballot as their employer York Hospital has refused to deal with their grievance over their pay grading as a result of the new 'Agenda for Change' pay structure in the National Health Service (NHS).

£5,000 pay cuts looming in Nottingham Single Status pay regrading exercise 18/10/07

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:21:33 +0100

About 3,500 staff - mainly clerical staff and technical jobs filled by men will see their pay cut by an average of £3,000 to £5,000 per year. If the proposals are accepted by the workforce the losers will receive pay protection for up to five years (a real terms pay cut for those affected).

Women set for £20,000 in equal-pay deal 18/10/07

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:20:25 +0100

THOUSANDS of low-paid female council staff are set to win equal-pay compensation payments of up to £20,000. About 3,000 women - mainly cleaners, catering staff and home helps - will receive the payments under a deal agreed by the City of Edinburgh Council and lawyers representing the women.

Union suspends classroom strike 15/10/07

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:35:23 +0100

Classroom assistants belonging to the Nipsa union have voted to return to work, while negotiations on their dispute continue. A majority vote was cast in 10 meetings held around Northern Ireland. It is understood some members of the union were reluctant to trust the management side's willingness to properly negotiate a better deal.

Equal pay case may cost council £13m 15/10/07

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:37:29 +0100

EQUAL pay claims from hundreds of women could end up costing Coventry city council £13 million. That is the bill it is estimated the authority will face if it loses a claim being brought on behalf of 600 women. The collective claim, backed by Unison and the T&G unions, relates to a six-year period before the implementation of 'single status' in 2005.

Classroom dispute talks under way 13/10/07

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 11:31:28 +0100

A fresh round of talks to break the deadlock in the classroom assistants strike has got under way. The Labour Relations Agency said it had invited management and trade unions to meet with its officials in Belfast, and that both sides have accepted.

Council strike likely in Birmingham as city plans salary cuts for 5,000 in bid to equalise pay 13/10/07

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:02:28 +0100

Council workers in Birmingham have threatened strike action over plans to impose pay cuts on 5,000 employees to solve an equal pay crisis. Trade union Unison said it received 100% support from its members for a ballot on industrial action over the pay cuts. Birmingham City Council this week rubber-stamped plans to impose a new Single Status pay structure on all staff .

Birmingham Council workers face bankruptcy and homelessness as authority seeks to impose Single Status pay cuts 13/10/07

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:59:41 +0100

Steve Foster, chairman of the joint trades union committee at the Council House, said there was "real concern" over employees facing Single Status wage cuts. He was speaking in advance of yesterday's cabinet endorsement of the Single Status pay and grading review, which will result in about 5,000 council workers taking pay cuts - in some cases by more than £10,000 a year.

Union denies it has lost public support 11/10/07

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:53:29 +0100

THE union representing the majority of striking classroom assistants yesterday rejected claims it was losing public support over the industrial action. NIPSA, which represents around 3,000 of the estimated 7,500 classroom assistants employed by the various education boards, says the majority of parents, teachers and the public are behind it in continuing its strike action.

NI Teaching assistants job evaluation dispute-Bus drivers will deliver children 11/10/07

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:31:00 +0100

Bus drivers have said they will deliver children to the Glenveagh Special school in south Belfast on Friday. Children had to go home on Thursday when drivers refused to cross a picket line of striking classroom assistants. Drivers said they have been assured leaving the children at the front door will not breach the picket line.

Women take on council in pay row 11/10/07

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:04:39 +0100

EQUAL pay claims from hundreds of women working for Coventry City Council are being heard by an employment tribunal. More than 600 women are claiming that for years they have been historically paid less than men working in equally important, but different, jobs.

Single Status - Thousands face redundancy in Dumfries and Galloway as Council seeks to impose new terms and conditions 11/10/07

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:02:10 +0100

The authority has issued advanced warning to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that 6,639 workers could be dismissed to enforce the Single Status pay deal. In an underhand letter to the government department, council human resources chief David Archibald, said they will be dismissed with the offer of re-engagement in order to introduce and implement new terms and conditions to comply with equal pay legislation.

NIPSA - Why classroom assistants are on strike

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 18:37:46 +0100

Leaflet explaining why classroom assistants in Northern Ireland are striking against job evaluations and regradings.

Classroom assistants take protest to Stormont 09/10/07

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 18:27:53 +0100

Over a hundred disgruntled classroom assistants in the North have picketed Stormont as part of their strike for better pay and conditions. NIPSA union members from east and south Belfast gathered outside Parliament Buildings to wave placards and blow horns in support of their protest against the regrading of posts.

School helpers strike escalates 09/10/07

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 18:26:23 +0100

Industrial action by classroom assistants over job re-grading has escalated into an indefinite strike. The strike, by 3,000 members of the public service union NIPSA, has closed 27 of Northern Ireland's 45 special schools. Education Minister Caitriona Ruane said progress had been made in negotiations and three of the four unions involved were consulting members.

Female staff at Staffordshire County Council to claim up to £1.5m in equal pay row 08/10/07

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 15:20:11 +0100

Almost 100 female workers are claiming up to £1.5m from Staffordshire County Council in an equal pay row. The 88 women say the local authority owes them about £15,000 each because they were left out of bonuses awarded to male gardeners on the same pay grade as them. The women, who are employed in a range of jobs, including care assistants and school lunchtime supervisors, will take their case to an employment tribunal on 3 December.

Council reorganisation plans will force human resources teams to restart equal pay reviews 08/10/07

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 15:18:17 +0100

Council reorganisation plans will be a "pain in the neck" for human resources (HR) teams forced to scrap existing equal pay reviews and start from scratch, according to the sector's employers' body.

Unhappy birthday for equal pay claimants 08/10/07

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 15:17:22 +0100

UNISON is to take its campaign for pay equality direct to decision makers in one Scottish council. Highland Council agreed to offer compensation to large numbers of its 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.

More disruption for special schools as strike extended 08/010/07

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 15:01:22 +0100

Special schools across Northern Ireland are set to keep their doors shut from tomorrow as thousands of classroom assistants escalate their strike action. More than 3,000 members of the public service union Nipsa will take part in indefinite industrial action, leaving special schools with no option but to close.

Classroom assistants on strike 05/10/07

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 15:23:12 +0100

OVER 2,000 classroom assistants took part in a solid one-day strike across Northern Ireland on 26 September against a pay cut and attacks on working conditions. They came out again on 2 October, starting a three-day strike.

Pay cuts shock for council workers 05/10/07

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 13:32:51 +0100

COUNCIL WORKERS in Angus have been crippled by a new pay deal which has seen some wage packets shrink by up to £8000 a year, it was claimed yesterday. A number of employees were said to be shell-shocked at their regrading, with one describing the new single-status structure as a kick in the teeth after some suffered massive reductions in their salaries.

Angus Council staff pay shock 04/10/07

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 19:33:56 +0100

Workers at Angus Council are reported to be shell shocked as they have learned of massive pay cuts which will be inflicted upon them when Single Status gradings and job evaluations are implemented.

Councils need help to fund equal pay 04/10/07

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 19:16:14 +0100

Senior officials at the Local Government Employers this week told Public Finance that they want local government minister John Healey to offer a second and third tranche of ‘capitalisation directions’ for 2007/08. If not, they said, councils would be forced to delay major projects or cut services to fund their equal pay obligations under the Single Status agreement.

GMB To Ballot Class Room Assistant Members In Northern Ireland On New Offer 04/10/07

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 19:13:18 +0100

The offer has 3 elements -Regrading- There will be 3 new grades- Classroom Assistant General, Classroom Assistant Special Needs and Classroom Assistant Additional Special Needs. Pay has been banded in line with the role of Clerical Officer, Senior Clerical Officer and Executive Officer. Newly determined pay rates range from £11,619.00 to £20,235.00 for full-time staff, dependent on grade and service.

Controversial council pay review delayed 03/10/07

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 21:12:23 +0100

A controversial pay and grading review at Birmingham City Council, which will leave 5,000 employees worse off, has been delayed. The council cabinet is to reconsider the Single Status salary shake-up, under which bonuses worth up to £10,000 a year will be axed.

Single Status Disputes in Birmingham, Glasgow and Bolton councils 03/10/07

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 15:29:47 +0100

Over 2,000 Unison union members who work for Birmingham council have attended mass meetings to discuss the imminent imposition of new contracts. The council are using the single status changes to try to drive through major changes to people's contracts.

Government loans will not solve the single status crisis 03/10/07

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 15:28:03 +0100

The government has stepped in to attempt to resolve the continuing chaos over the single status pay agreement. But it has no solution to the crisis that has led to many workers including many women losing money over what was supposed to be a equal pay agreement.

Resolve hardens as school strike enters day two 03/10/07

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 15:26:30 +0100

Talks between Nipsa and the Education and Library Boards broke down last night with thousands of classroom assistants refusing to return to work until their demands are met. At the end of the first day of a three day strike, relationships between the unions and management appeared at an all time low and all out strike action appeared likely.

TRIBUNAL RULING MEANS FURTHER PROBLEMS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT’S SINGLE STATUS AGREEMENT 03/10/07

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 15:23:19 +0100

An Employment Tribunal ruling on equal pay has panicked both employers and trade union leaders throughout local government. But it is a trade union, in this case the GMB, that has been found guilty of discrimination and victimisation on gender lines against its own members!

EQUAL PAY CASE HEADS TO COURT 01/10/07

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 15:23:57 +0100

Lawyers acting for 170 women seeking back pay from Stoke-on-Trent City Council will take their case to court next week. The women, who are claiming that the council has been in breach of the Equal Pay Act, hope to win compensation totalling millions of pounds. But before the case can be heard in full, both sides must set out how they intend to proceed during a two-week legal hearing beginning next Monday.

North West councils borrow £500m to settle claims 01/10/07

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 15:22:16 +0100

Twelve North West councils have been allowed to borrow a share of £500m to settle equal pay claims among their staff, the Government has announced. Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Cumbria, Knowsley, Oldham, Salford, Sefton, Trafford, Warrington, Wirral and Bury councils are among 46 local authorities in England facing the threat of legal action by trade unions on behalf of low-paid, mainly women workers.

Equal pay - everyone can win 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:47:18 +0100

Addressing equal pay and social justice would not only win women's votes but it would be "a recipe for success", Labour Party delegates heard today. Fawcett Society director Dr Katherine Rake told a UNISON fringe meeting on women at work that new research was challenging the old myths about female voters.

Health bosses' fears over equal pay claims 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:45:33 +0100

Human resources bosses at Northampton General Hospital fear footing a bill of thousands of pounds for at least a dozen women employees' equal pay claims. NHS legislation under Agenda for Change, which came into effect in 2004, gives employees the right to the same pay as others who do the same job.

Funding for Equal Pay A Significant Breakthrough 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:44:08 +0100

UNISON today welcomed the Government’s decision to release £500 million to 46 local authorities to fund equal pay, as a “significant breakthrough” i its long-running battle for pay equality. The decision is a direct response to the union’s call for equal pay at this week’s Labour Party conference, led by General Secretary, Dave Prentis.

GMB Says Councils Now Have No Excuse For Pay Discrimination And Demands Immediate Negotiations 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:42:17 +0100

GMB has welcomed today’s announcement of additional Government funding for equal pay in local authorities and has challenged all councils to negotiate improved pay for women to eradicate pay discrimination.

Council boost for equal pay claims 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:40:50 +0100

Councils will be allowed to borrow £500m to settle thousands of equal pay claims by staff, the government announced today. The move affects 46 local authorities in England, which were facing the threat of legal action by trade unions on behalf of low-paid, mainly female, workers such as dinner ladies and carers

GMB To Consult Classroom Assistant Members In Northern Ireland On New Offer To Resolve Job Evaluation Issues 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:39:13 +0100

GMB this morning received a final offer to resolve the long running negotiations over job evaluation issues relating to 7,000 Classroom Assistants in Northern Ireland. GMB will now refer this offer to GMB members in school across Northern Ireland for their consideration and they will decide what the next step will be in this matter.

Unions divided over school action 30/09/07

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:38:17 +0100

One of the unions representing classroom assistants has criticised the decision by Nipsa to hold a one-day strike on Wednesday. The four unions and employers are resuming talks held on Tuesday, where there were signs of progress.

Classroom helpers picket schools 26/09/07

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:11:58 +0100

Classroom assistants in Northern Ireland have picketed outside schools as part of one-day strike action. The dispute centres on pay and re-grading, and has been going on for 12 years without resolution.

NI classroom assistants begin one-day strike 26/09/07

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:08:35 +0100

Pickets are being held outside special schools and some other schools in Northern Ireland as a strike by classroom assistants gets under way. The dispute involves up to 7,000 classroom assistants and has been dragging on for over 10 years. It centres on single status job evaluations, salaries and pay grades.

Union meetings in Birmingham over single status 25/09/06

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:29:59 +0100

The looming confrontation between Birmingham council and 40,000 of its workers will move a step closer this week when two important trade union meetings take place. The council is on a collision course following a decision to impose new employment contracts in October. Bosses have said they will dismiss any employee who does not “voluntarily” accept the contract and offer re-employment on the new terms.

Angus Council staff warned to expect pay cuts as single status deal is implemented 25/09/07

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:49:05 +0100

A WAGES warning has been delivered to Angus Council staff ahead of a delayed single pay deal coming into force. Next spring will see the rural authority finally implement a national single status agreement but confidential details on the deal have revealed some staff will be worse off under the new ‘concern provoking’ set-up.

Talks hopes as class strike looms 25/09/07

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:46:29 +0100

Education Minister Caitriona Ruane has called for talks to avert a one-day strike by thousands of classroom assistants on Wednesday. Unions and employers held emergency talks on Monday evening but these broke down after 90 minutes, with unions saying there was no progress. The dispute goes back 12 years and centres on grading and salaries for Northern Ireland's 7,000 assistants.

Union fury at minister as bid to avert NI classroom strike fails 25/09/07

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:44:13 +0100

Efforts were expected to continue today to break the deadlock between the Education and Library Boards and classroom assistants threatening to strike tomorrow

EOC wrong on equal pay moratorium 24/09/07

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:45:03 +0100

Trade unions today welcomed the statement by Equal Opportunities Commission chief Jenny Watson, which highlights the explosion of equal pay cases being brought by no-win, no-fee lawyers. However, UNISON and the GMB believe a moratorium on pay discrimination tribunals, proposed by Ms Watson, would damage the fight for equal pay.

Lawyer behind equal pay claims now turns his sights on the NHS 24/09/07

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:43:44 +0100

Stefan Cross, the solicitor behind the rise of no-win no-fee equal-pay claims clogging the tribunal system, said yesterday that the cases against local authorities were the beginning of a deluge. Mr Cross, 46, left a law firm working on behalf of trades unions in 2002 when he decided that women were never going to improve their pay unless they made individual claims, rather than relying on collective bargaining

Mansfield Bin men job evaluation dispute costs thousands 20/09/07

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:53:30 +0100

BINMEN in Mansfield have been involved in a dispute which has cost council chiefs more than £5,000 a week, it has been revealed. Since the start of August, refuse collectors have been taking longer to do the same work after fears were raised they could lose an £80 weekly bonus under job evaluations.

NI classroom assistants to strike 20/09/07

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:51:15 +0100

Janette Murdock, classroom assistant at Tor Bank Special School in Dundonald, said the decision to strike had not been taken lightly. If this isn't sorted out the children's education will suffer more. Experienced and qualified staff will be forced to leave the job, she said. The boards will have downgraded the jobs so much that they will have created an inexperienced, high-turnover workforce - that will affect children more in the long-term.

Environment watchdog threatens to axe contracts in pay row 20/09/07

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:45:58 +0100

SCOTLAND'S environment watchdog has threatened to terminate the contracts of its 1,300 staff in an effort to break the stalemate in an increasingly bitter row over a proposed new salary and conditions package. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) angered its staff after warning that it would impose new contracts on them if they did not come to an agreement with unions on the new pay deal.

Stirling Council to impose single status gradings after 90 day notification? 20/09/07

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:42:37 +0100

Officials in Stirling have set a 90-day time limit for negotiations on a new single status pay deal for council workers. The local authority has launched a formal consultation on the proposed new terms and conditions. The move paves the way for the council to impose the contract on about 3,200 staff if agreement cannot be reached with the unions and employees.

Unions plan campaign over single status mass sackings in Birmingham 20/09/07

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:41:21 +0100

A major battle is brewing in Europe’s biggest local authority against a background of the threat of mass sackings. Birmingham city council is preparing to send letters to its 40,000 workers allotting new pay grades as a result of a single status review.

More councils to threaten mass sackings as single status/equal pay crisis deepens 16/09/07

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 16:49:58 +0100

Birmingham City Council this week issued more than 40,000 redundancy notices in its bid to impose it's new single status pay grades. The Midlands authority is using the ploy to force groups of workers, up to 7,000 employees, to accept single status pay cuts and limit it's liability to costly equal pay claims. John Sutcliffe, principal strategy adviser at the Local Government Employers (LGE) body, told Personnel Today that several other councils may follow this high-risk strategy.

Birmingham City Council threatens mass sackings in bid to impose Single Status pay cuts on staff 16/09/07

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 16:48:42 +0100

Britain's biggest council is threatening to axe more than 40,000 workers in the biggest mass sacking in the country's history. Tory-run Birmingham city council has issued redundancy notices to its entire workforce, apart from teachers, as it tries to force through an equal pay structure.

Downgraded Day care workers in Glasgow ballot for indefinite strike 12/09/07

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:15:54 +0100

Workers in six day centres for disabled people in Glasgow are balloting for an indefinite strike. The workers are employed by Glasgow council and are members of the Unison union. The ballot follows on from the successful indefinite strike of Glasgow council social care workers last month. Like the social care workers, day centre workers were downgraded in the council’s single status pay review.

CONSULTATION OVER STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL SINGLE STATUS WAGES DEAL STARTS 11/09/07

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:26:57 +0100

A Six-week consultation over equal pay for Staffordshire County Council employees gets under way today. The authority has been locked in negotiations with the GMB, Unison and T &G unions since January, as it looks to implement its single status pay structure for male and female workers. Union officials are unhappy with the council's £85 million proposals.

Ulster Teaching Assistants set to strike over job evaluations 09/09/07

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 11:46:00 +0100

Schools across Northern Ireland were last night facing widespread disruption after the result of a ballot by thousands of classroom assistants showed they plan to strike. Members of Unison Northern Ireland, including classroom assistants and school cleaners, have voted in favour of industrial action in an indicative ballot and will now take part in a statutory ballot on the issue.

Cumbria Council staff facing Single Status pay cuts 09/09/07

Sun, 9 Sep 2007 11:43:58 +0100

Cumbria council is carrying out a huge Single Status job-evaluation exercise designed to deliver fair gradings and harmonise blue and white collar workers' terms and conditions. The move comes after a (separate) equal-pay claim was brought forward by some 3,000 female cooks, cleaners and care workers on council staff. But while some staff will receive a pay rise, others will find their jobs downgraded and could face a pay cut.

Strike threat over Single Status pay changes in Birmingham 06/09/07

Thu, 6 Sep 2007 18:53:51 +0100

Up to 1,000 Birmingham City Council workers could take strike action in a dispute over proposed changes to their pay and conditions. Unions claim road workers, street cleaners, bin men and other manual employees could lose up to 50% of their total pay under the new deal.

GMB Wins £1.6m In Back Pay For Classroom Support Staff In Leicestershire County Council 06/09/07

Thu, 6 Sep 2007 18:47:05 +0100

Following the introduction of job evaluation in October 2003 for staff employed in schools in Leicestershire a change was made to classroom support staff pay. This was challenged by a group of GMB members at a primary school in Markfield.

HANDLING OF £85M STAFFORDSHIRE COUNCIL PAY PLANS ATTACKED 06/09/07

Thu, 6 Sep 2007 18:45:00 +0100

The Conservative group leader on Staffordshire County Council has criticised the authority's £85 million pay modernisation plans. Councillor Philip Atkins believes the proposals, which will ensure equal rates of pay for women and men, will eventually lead to cuts in services or big council tax rises.

Equal Pay claims fuel rise in employment tribunals

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 19:51:26 +0100

The number of cases taken to employment tribunals rose by 15% last year, driven by a huge rise in equal pay claims against the NHS and local authorities.

Equal pay for women is down to councils 02/09/07

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 16:54:58 +0100

Local authorities will have to face the £5bn bill for equal pay without any financial aid from central government, Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears has revealed. Two thirds of councils have not yet achieved single-status meaning female staff are paid equivalent to their male counterparts and receive historical back pay but negotiations with unions are continuing.

Glasgow council workers' Single Status victory: United strike action wins 02/09/07

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 16:53:03 +0100

After 20 days of all-out, indefinite strike action, over 600 Glasgow social care workers won a clear victory. "Pay hike joy for striking council staff" was the headline in a recent issue of Glasgow's Evening Times. Jamie, a striking social care worker from the Gorbals area team summed it up: "There's no doubt this is a major victory."

Equal pay claim could hit £64m 02/09/07

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 09:34:20 +0100

Thousands of women working for Warwickshire County Council could be in line for compensation if a £64 million equal pay claim is successful. School cleaners, care workers, dinner ladies, lunch-time supervisors and caretakers are being targeted by Action 4 Equality to claim equal pay back payments.

Dundee Council threatens imposition of Single Status regrading's 02/09/07

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 09:31:06 +0100

Dundee Council is set to implement it's Single Status agreement next April. Trades unions are being asked to back the single status agreement, which will affect 6,300 employees. The authority said it was prepared to start redundancy and re-employment proceedings in September if unions did not agree to the proposed changes.

SINGLE STATUS LEADS TO COUNCIL JOB CUTS THREAT 31/08/07

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:44:29 +0100

DUMFRIES COUNCIL workers have been warned their jobs could be on the line to solve a multi-million pound financial headache. An internal message has told of the need for major savings in the authority. Up to £54million needs to be found in less than three years. Part of the massive saving plan includes £12million to fund the Single Status pay equality deal over the next three years.

Scotland’s Councils Face A Further Bill Of £100 Million For Equal Pay As GMB Scotland Launches A Second Round Of Equal Pay Grievances 30/08/07

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:40:46 +0100

GMB Scotland, the largest Union for Manual Workers in Local Government has launched a second Grievance on Equal Pay in 25 of Scotland’s Councils.

Equal pay: choosing a comparator 16/08/07

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:19:59 +0100

South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council v Anderson [2007] The claimants were employed as school support staff in the appellant council's community schools, their rate of pay being determined by a collective agreement applicable to local government employees.

Publishing error made Acas equal pay statistics wrong by 400% 16/08/07

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:16:52 +0100

Acas has had to revise its official statistics after a publishing error caused the number of equal pay claims for last year to be reported as 400% lower than they actually were. Its original figures, released in July of this year, showed a significant drop in the number of equal pay claims being brought before the Employment Tribunal.

Glasgow social care workers' all-out strike wins concessions over regrading 16/08/07

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:15:25 +0100

Three weeks of indefinite strike action by 600 social care workers in the Unison union in Glasgow have won concessions over regrading from the New Labour-run council.

Unions deluged by negligence claims in equal pay/single status back pay settlements crisis 12/08/07

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 09:09:09 +0100

Newcastle law firm Stefan Cross has issued almost 3,000 claims earlier this week against Unison, GMB, Unite T&G and the Royal College of Nurses on behalf of cleaners, care workers and kitchen staff. Action for Equality, a company owned by Stefan Cross, alleges Unions have been negligent in the handling of equal pay compensation cases for their female members. This rash of legal action has comedespite a judgment in favour of the GMB by the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

Bolton Council unveils plan for bonus payments removal 11/08/07

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 20:32:43 +0100

Council chiefs at Bolton have put together a package which means that the council will be protected from further equal pay claims.It involves removing bonus payments to certain staff but also ensures that the impact on them is minimised. Over the last year the council has paid out almost £9 million in compensation to around 2,000 workers who were not paid bonuses. The deal was part of a national agreement between councils and unions.

Glasgow social care workers vote to end Single Status dispute 10/08/07

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:20:35 +0100

Glasgow social care workers have called off their strike action after accepting an improved offer from the city council. About 550 staff, members of Unison, have been on strike since 24 July in a dispute over a pay and grading review, under single status job evaluation, which resulted in potential pay cuts of up to £3,000 per annum.

Glasgow care workers stay resolute in Single Status dispute 10/08/07

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:08:14 +0100

This strike is solid and we are staying out for all 600 said Ann of the Gorbals area team. 600 Glasgow Social Care Workers have been on all out strike for over two weeks. The strength, unity and almost 100% support for the strike action by Glasgow SCWs has been an example to workers across the trade union movement.

Glasgow care workers vote to keep fighting 09/08/07

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:37:29 +0100

Regrade, not degrade! was the defiant chant of hundreds of social care workers in Glasgow on Friday of last week as they voted overwhelmingly to continue their indefinite strike into a third week.

Male workers at Sellafield paid '£4,000 less' than female workers 09/08/07

Thu, 9 Aug 2007 07:35:08 +0100

Nuclear power plant Sellafield is facing legal action over pay rates that allegedly leave male workers worse off than women in comparable jobs. The action is being taken by general union GMB, and will affect 370 health physics monitors at the plant.

GMB Scotland Lodges 300 Equal Pay Claims In Renfrewshire Council 07/08/07

Tue, 7 Aug 2007 16:57:17 +0100

GMB Scotland the largest trade union for manual workers in Scotland is to lodge 300 equal pay claims with the Employment Tribunals Office in Glasgow against Renfrewshire Council. The Council agreed, following negotiation with GMB Scotland, to pay for the past inequalities up to March 2006. Since that period the Council continued to operate the same pay structure with the same inequalities up to April 2007 when they introduced a new pay model.

Glasgow Unions given go-ahead for equal pay tribunals 07/08/07

Tue, 7 Aug 2007 16:47:36 +0100

Hundreds of Glasgow council workers are to lodge equal pay tribunal claims. Council chiefs had tried to block more than 300 low-paid women from having their claims for compensation heard at an employment tribunal by offering them each around £9000 two years ago. At a tribunal they could expect at least £20,000.

Equal pay claims threat to Civil Service 06/08/07

Mon, 6 Aug 2007 17:53:47 +0100

The threat of equal pay claims across the Civil Service is looming after a report revealed huge pay differentials between staff, two years after the government first noted the problem.

Hundreds of striking social care staff reject council deal 04/08/07

Sat, 4 Aug 2007 09:25:16 +0100

More than 500 striking social care workers in Glasgow yesterday rejected an offer to end their dispute. Unison members have been out since July 24 after their jobs were regraded in a move that will leave some of them on lower wages. Glasgow City Council yesterday offered a deal giving workers help in gaining the skills and qualifications officials believe they would need to go up a grade.

Councils ‘must negotiate’ on equal pay 04/08/07

Sat, 4 Aug 2007 09:23:09 +0100

The Local Government Employers organization has issued an urgent notice warning councils to resume meaningful negotiations with unions or risk expensive litigation over a potential £5bn gender pay gap. The LGE’s move follows the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling on July 31, overturning a June 2006 judgment that put progress on equal pay on hold for more than a year.

Glasgow social care single status dispute continues 04/08/07

Sat, 4 Aug 2007 09:18:28 +0100

Social care staff in Glasgow are to continue strike action after a pay offer from the council was rejected. Unison said talks with Glasgow City Council failed to provide a solution. A council spokesman said the offer gave staff a route "into a higher paid role in return for them undergoing training and taking on more complex work".

Union equality ruling overturned 02/08/07

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 19:04:21 +0100

An employment tribunal ruling that one of the UK's biggest unions discriminated against women has been overturned on appeal. The case was brought by Middlesbrough Council workers, who said the GMB focused on protecting men's pay in its Single Status equality negotiations.

Action4Equality say equal pay compensation is too low 02/08/07

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 19:02:57 +0100

Campaigners say about 200 women employed by Lancashire Council, including cooks, cleaners and care assistants, have rejected County Hall's equal pay offer and have turned to lawyers to win them more money.

GMB Vindicated In Crucial Single Status Equal Pay Discrimination Case 02/08/07

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 18:13:35 +0100

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has today ruled that GMB was not guilty of discrimination against its women members when it negotiated settlements to equal pay claims. GMB believes that the decision in the case known as 'Allan' will put an end to attacks on the right of trade unions to bargain collectively on behalf of their members.

Greenwich council workers lobby over single status 02/08/07

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 18:11:01 +0100

Dozens of Unison union members lobbied Greenwich council in south London last week against attacks on their working conditions and wages caused by single status proposals. The protest was also against the council’s lack of action over the issue of bullying at work.

Spirited social care workers' strike rocks Glasgow 02/08/07

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 18:08:27 +0100

Around 600 social care workers in Glasgow have entered their second week of indefinite strike against being downgraded in the council’s single status review. The regrading leaves many of the workers £1,000 worse off .

Single Status protest Library petition handed to council leader 02/08/07

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 18:05:33 +0100

PROTESTORS angry over the restructuring of Hampshire's library service delivered a 12,000-signature petition to the leader of the county council on Tuesday. The petition was organised by Unison, the public services trade union, against county plans to axe 27 of 60 librarians and downgrade a further 17, with a pay cut of £4,500, in a £1.2m cost-cutting drive.

Defiant Glasgow single status strikers stage demonstration 31/07/07

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:37:41 +0100

Hundreds of striking social care workers in Glasgow have staged a massive unofficial rally. Around 500 defiant staff gathered at lunchtime in George Square after council chiefs refused their request to hold a demonstration

Support Glasgow's social work strikers 28/07/07

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:46:07 +0100

SIX HUNDRED Social Care Workers, members of Unison and employees of Glasgow city council Social Work Services, began all-out indefinite strike action on 24 July in pursuit of their claim for a higher grading. Ian Leech, Social Care Worker/Unison steward (in a personal capacity).

SOCIAL CARE STAFFTAKE PART IN SINGLE STATUS STRIKE

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:44:00 +0100

Hundreds of social care workers took part in the first day of an "indefinite strike" yesterday, union bosses said. Unison said about 540 social care staff in Glasgow did not turn up for work. This is 90% of the 600 social care staff who are Unison members.

Crisis talks bid to end Glasgow city’s social care single status strike 28/07/07

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:22:34 +0100

FRANTIC attempts are being made to halt a strike by hundreds of Glasgow social care workers. Crisis talks were being held today between strike leaders and council chiefs who are pledging to put more cash on the table in a bid to end the strike. The breakthrough comes 48 hours after more than half of the city's 600 social care workers began an indefinite strike. advertisement

UNISON accused of undermining single status pay protection deal

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:17:32 +0100

EIGHT hundred staff at Dorset County Council could have their pay slashed to prevent a massive wages bill. The staff's own union Unison is being accused of pushing for the pay cut, a move the union strongly rejects. And thousands more staff at neighbouring authorities are waiting to see whether they will also lose money.

This equality road map must now apply to men 26/07/07

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:08:18 +0100

The Equal Opportunities Commission is shutting up shop after 32 years, during which it has probably been admired and vilified in almost equal measure. Born in the heady days of feminism's most vibrant decade, the 70s, it has soldiered on long after feminism got marginalized by a generation that erroneously believed all the big battles had been won.

Glasgow council hit by all-out strike against single status 26/07/07

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:06:54 +0100

Lively pickets were out in force as 600 social care workers in Glasgow started an indefinite strike on Tuesday. The mood was very confident as up to 30 strikers joined each picket line across the city. The workers had been downgraded in the council's single status review.

200 YEARS UNTIL WOMEN BECOME EOUAL 22/07/07

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:38:33 +0100

Gender equality in Scotland is "generations away", according to a report. It will be more than 20 years until men and women in the workplace receive equal pay - and 200 years before both genders evenly share the top jobs.

Councils ‘ignoring’ equal pay issue 22/07/07

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:36:51 +0100

A FORMER council leader has accused local authorities of failing to take seriously the major issue of equal pay for council workers. Following a series of legal rulings, councils face huge bills to compensate female workers who have been systematically underpaid for years

End is in sight at last for NHS staff's delayed salary review 22/07/07

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:35:15 +0100

A MASSIVE pay review for thousands of nurses and lower-paid NHS workers in the Lothians is nearing completion - almost two years behind schedule. A deadline of September 2005 was originally set for regrading the jobs of 28,000 NHS Lothian staff as part of a nationwide review of health service pay.

Comment Proof positive on equal pay, by Heather Wakefield 18/07/07

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:18:59 +0100

After decades of equal pay legislation, women still earn less than men, with the local government sector particularly guilty. It’s time for action says Unison, as it prepares to take the battle forward This week local council staff from across the country travelled to Parliament to call for an end to public sector pay discrimination.

Equal pay row ups pressure on council industrial relations 18/07/07

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:17:43 +0100

Industrial relations between local authorities and unions are becoming increasingly fraught as the equal pay crisis threatens to overwhelm local councils, senior figures have warned.

Women get lost wages back 18/07/07

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:16:20 +0100

Neath Port Talbot Council was the first local authority in Wales to give equal pay compensation to women and now over 99% of employees of the council have accepted their back pay. Payments have been made mostly to female employees, mainly catering, cleaning and care staff who, historically, did not have the same opportunity to receive productivity bonus payments as male employees.

Glasgow council’s use of anti-union laws backfires 18/07/07

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:11:24 +0100

Glasgow City council’s attempts to use Tory anti-union laws has backfired. Managers had hoped to use the law to intimidate 600 social care workers from a work to rule and stop solidarity action. Now they face an indefinite strike by these workers from Monday and social workers and other frontline workers will also be balloted.

Job losses to pay for single status in Dumfries and Galloway 18/07/07

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:09:52 +0100

Dumfries and Galloway Council could be plunged into financial crisis over an equal pay deal. Single Status could leave the authority nearly £7million in debt in less than two years. The warning comes from finance boss Robin Bennie who says 200 jobs will have to go if the books are to be balanced.

West Lothian Council uses single status agreement to force weekend working on staff 14/07/07

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 12:18:38 +0100

Hundreds of council roadworkers, refuse collectors and maintenance staff are set to vote on industrial action over being made to work weekends. The West Lothian Council workers are angry about changes to their shift patterns, which will make it compulsory to work on Saturdays or Sundays

Equal pay deal delayed by a deluge of staff feedback 12/07/07

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:32:20 +0100

Edinburgh city council's equal pay deal has been delayed by up to ten months because of the huge amount of feedback from workers and trade unions. Thousands of staff are due to see their salaries cut under the new scheme, which is being introduced to comply with equal pay rules. The council has now extended its consultation process on a draft version of the plan, with the final changes to the pay structure - originally due in the autumn - expected by the middle of next year.

Last-ditch bid in pay dispute 12/07/07

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:30:35 +0100

HAMPSHIRE County Council managers are holding last-ditch talks with union leaders after staff voted to reject a new pay and conditions deal. Julie Murdoch, branch secretary for Hampshire Unison, said: "We hope to come up with a new package and will go out to ballot again if there are enough changes to make it worthwhile."

Care staff call for strike action 10/07/07

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:47:35 +0100

Social care staff in Glasgow have called for a strike action as soon "as legally possible" in their dispute with the city council over job grading. At a meeting in Glasgow, 600 staff members reacted angrily to the local authority's position

£5bn bill to rectify equal pay claim 10/07/07

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:44:45 +0100

Rectifying the injustice of unequal pay for female council workers could cost local authorities as much as £5bn. Ten years to the day since an agreement to end pay discrimination, three quarters of female council staff still receive less than their male colleagues for equivalent work

Anti-union law used by Glasgow's Labour council 10/07/07

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:42:32 +0100

A threat by Labour-controlled Glasgow city council to use anti-union laws halted industrial action by 600 social care workers. But at a mass meeting on Tuesday the workers voted overwhelmingly that they would begin an all-out strike from Monday 23 July.

Social care workers set to strike 10/07/07

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:40:33 +0100

Social care workers who are employed by Scotland's biggest local authority are to stage an indefinite walkout in a dispute over pay and regrading, it emerged yesterday. The 600 staff, frustrated at Glasgow City Council forcing them to postpone plans to begin a work-to-rule in protest over job regrading from last Monday, carried the strike vote overwhelmingly at a meeting of more than 700 care staff, social workers and team leaders.

Back-pay bill could hit services 10/07/07

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:38:01 +0100

BACK-PAY claims for thousands of under-paid women workers could land Cardiff council with a bill of up to £30m, it has been revealed. The authority could even be forced to delay the opening of the city’s new central library and other major projects if pleas to the Welsh Assembly Government to borrow money to meet the huge bill fall on deaf ears.

Lobbiers demand funding for Single Status 10/07/07

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:35:33 +0100

Storm clouds hung low over Westminster today as hundreds of angry women trade unionists and their supporters from across England and Wales lobbied Parliament to demand proper funding for Single Status and equal pay in local government.

New equal pay structure is kick in teeth for workers 09/07/07

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 18:37:22 +0100

A Trade Union secretary has described East Lothian Council's plans to impose single status pay cuts as a "kick in the teeth" for workers, some of whom could lose up to £3000 a year. Talks between the local authority and trades unions have ended, after 47 attempts to reach an agreement since January 2005. The council has now begun a 90-day consultation with staff, after making what they say is an improved offer.

Mass legal action over equal pay 09/07/07

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 18:36:16 +0100

Legal action to secure equal pay for women in the public sector is being launched by Wales' largest trade union. Unison, which represents more than 95,000 members in Wales, 65% of them female, said its campaign was on behalf of thousands of underpaid women.

Lobby to urge govt to close unlawful pay gap 09/07/07

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 18:34:54 +0100

UNISON is stepping up the fight to win equal pay for members with a lobby of parliament next Tuesday. The union argues money is the major block to achieving equal pay in the public sector - it will use the lobby to demand the government put its money where its mouth is.

Key Glasgow social care staff may strike 07/07/07

Sat, 7 Jul 2007 11:22:43 +0100

Nearly 600 social care staff working for Glasgow City Council may end up on strike from next Monday (9 July) in a dispute over job grading UNISON, the union that represents Scotland's Social Work staff said today.

Social care workers suspend strike action over legal threat 07/07/07

Sat, 7 Jul 2007 11:14:22 +0100

Social care workers employed by Scotland's biggest local authority have suspended industrial action planned for Monday after their union accused employers of "threatening legal action" against staff. Unison has opted to postpone the planned "work to rule" and instead called a meeting on Tuesday to discuss a letter they received from Glasgow City Council.

Council workers threaten strike 05/07/07.

Thu, 5 Jul 2007 21:32:38 +0100

Hundreds of workers at Scotland's largest local authority may take part in strike action next week, according to a trade union. Unison said that about 600 social care staff at Glasgow City Council could take part in the action on Monday. Union officials said the dispute was focussed on a disagreement with the council over job grading.

Equal pay fight goes to London 05/07/07

Thu, 5 Jul 2007 15:05:49 +0100

TRADE union bosses are going to Parliament to win equal pay for women who have suffered discrimination. Leaders of town hall union Unison will lobby the borough's two MPs when they go the House of Commons on Tuesday. The day before, they will serve 130 official grievances on Bury Council, all of them from cleaners, with further batches to come from those in different jobs.

Sellafield men in legal fight for equal pay 05/07/07

Thu, 5 Jul 2007 15:03:00 +0100

A MALE vs female fight over equality pay at Sellafield is heading for the law courts. Health physics monitors who check radiation and contamination levels are hot under the collar claiming that female staff who input data about the nuclear site receive about £4,000 a year more in basic pay.

Tripartite Union alliance to demand single status funding from central Government 04/07/07

Wed, 4 Jul 2007 22:37:27 +0100

Unison, the GMB and the T&G section of Unite have called a national lobby of parliament for Tuesday of next week to demand full funding for local government to pay single status deals.

Lobby demands government funding for equal pay 04/07/07

Wed, 4 Jul 2007 22:35:25 +0100

Members of Unite - the union will demand that the government pays up for equal pay in local government when they join a major lobby of parliament next Tuesday July 10. Women are still unlawfully underpaid in local government more than 30 years after equal pay legislation was enacted in the UK.

Agenda for Change and equal pay 02/07/07

Mon, 2 Jul 2007 22:33:46 +0100

The RCN, alongside other health service unions, is trying to secure compensation for all those NHS employees who suffered from pay discrimination prior to the implementation of Agenda for Change.

Male workers demand equal pay 02/07/07

Mon, 2 Jul 2007 15:41:37 +0100

Sellafield is to become the latest major Cumbrian employer to face costly legal action over pay rates which union bosses say leave male workers worse off than women in comparable jobs. It is first time in Cumbria that a union has fought a case alleging men are victims of sexual discrimination in their pay packets.

Women workers at top Welsh private school speak out over equal pay claim 30/06/07

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:13:11 +0100

WOMEN workers at an exclusive Welsh private school have been embroiled in a long-running equal pay claim, it emerged yesterday. The 50 part-time support staff at Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools, some of who earn just £7 an hour, have been fighting the claim through Employment Tribunals for almost a decade.

Hampshire council workers workers reject single status pay deal 29/06/07

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:45:50 +0100

HAMPSHIRE County Council workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject a new equal pay deal. In a ballot held by Unison, the main public sector union, 79 per cent of members rejected the new grades and salaries proposed by the council.

Leicestershire MP David Taylor calls for Comprehensive Spending Review to deliver cash to councils to fund equal pay reviews and claims 28/06/07

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:53:15 +0100

Unions are working with a Leicestershire MP to put a motion before Parliament asking for equal pay between male and female local council staff. The initiative is led by Unison, the UK’s largest public sector union, which claims that female staff across local councils are being paid less than their male colleagues for equivalent work.

Closing the gender pay gap 28/06/07

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:51:47 +0100

An equal pay ruling in favour of UNISON's method of calculating back pay brings more than 1300 members a step closer to receiving payouts that could total £60 million. The women work for Cumbria County Council as care assistants, home carers, kitchen assistants, cooks and night care assistants. "We're obviously delighted that the tribunal is making Cumbria stump up the back pay that is owed," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.

Union threat over contracts 27/06/07

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:25:16 +0100

Union leaders are considering pursuing hundreds of unfair dismissal claims against West Lothian Council as 1500 workers were told their contracts were being terminated. The employees are being forced to move to new contracts as part of the national Single Status agreement.

Greenwich UNISON wins concessions 27/06/07

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:23:53 +0100

Greenwich UNISON is continuing to fight the council's 'single status' proposals. In November 2006, the council spelt out cut after cut for workers. But the branch's determined stance has led to a number of concessions. For example all waste services, caretaking, road sweeping, catering and cleaning employees will see increases in pay.

Greenwich council workers challenge single status proposals 27/07/07

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:20:56 +0100

Over 250 Greenwich council workers in south London are continuing their battle against the latest single status proposals. The recent plans include home care workers (mostly low paid women) losing over £20 per week which shows the emptiness of the council’s claim that its proposals will benefit low paid women.

Female council staff owed up to £30,000 27/06/07

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:18:48 +0100

THOUSANDS of female care assistants, cleaners and cooks employed by Cumbria County Council are in line for payments of up to £30,000 following a landmark tribunal ruling yesterday. Unions acting for 2,926 women won an equal pay claim for most of them last year. The council appealed and aspects of the appeal are still pending but the latest employment tribunal ruling sets out a framework for calculating how much each of the successful claimants will get.

ARGYLL COUNCIL PAY TALKS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME 21/06/07

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:56:28 +0100

A union boss has slammed a consultation exercise over proposed new pay and conditions for staff at Argyll and Bute Council as "a complete waste of time".He claimed there had been no progress at meetings Unison attended with councillors and officials last week to discuss the re-evaluation of staff jobs, salaries and service conditions, as part of the national single status pay agreement.

200 cleaners seek equal pay entitlements payout 21/06/07

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:24:32 +0100

MORE than 200 cleaners have lodged grievances with a council over equal pay entitlements. And union bosses are expecting about 800 more employees in Bury to launch similar actions. Union bosses are assessing individual entitlements, which could cost the council millions.

Unions back faith school caretakers in equal pay battle 20/06/07

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:12:37 +0100

Unions have thrown their weight behind a fair pay deal for Wigan's faith school caretakers. Legal teams from both the GMB and Unison are being drafted in to fight the cause of dozens of janitors in the borough who have been told they will not get thousands of pounds in equality back pay like their state school counterparts because they are not employed by the Metro.

OUTRAGE AT SACK THREAT TO WORKERS 18/06/07

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:37:33 +0100

A COUNCIL have been slated for threatening to sack workers who refuse to sign new contracts. SNP-controlled West Lothian Council sent letters to more than 5000 people warning they face "termination of employment" if they do not sign new contracts to comply with rules on equal pay for men and women.

Low-paid women swamp equal pay tribunals 18/06/07

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:33:47 +0100

THOUSANDS of female workers are seeking equal pay compensation which could cost Scots council taxpayers £560million. The employment tribunal service has been swamped in the last year with 19,000 cases brought by poorly paid women - most from local authorities or the health service.

Workers fight for equal pay 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:01:52 +0100

Caretakers in Wigan's faith schools who missed out on an equal pay cash windfall are meeting to discuss their next step forward. In April, Wigan Metro sent letters out to 60 caretakers at church primary schools explaining they wouldn't be eligible for any money from the equal pay compensation scheme – unlike counterparts in community schools. They argue that primary faith caretakers are employed directly by their school and not Wigan's Metropolitan Catering and Cleaning Service (MCCS).

HOPES OF AVOIDING STRIKE AT COUNCIL 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:59:01 +0100

Crucial talks will be held next week in an effort to avert a threat of strike action hanging over Argyll and Bute Council. The union Unison has suspended industrial action, which was originally proposed for June 20, in the hope that the talks, with senior councillors and officials, will address its concerns over proposals which could see some workers lose thousands of pounds a year.

Avalanche of legal actions under equal pay law 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:13:57 +0100

Women in the public sector seeking equal pay with their male colleagues are taking more than 1,500 cases to court a month, at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £1 billion, it has been claimed. Lawyers say there has been an avalanche of legal actions after changes which allow staff seeking compensation for under-payment under equal pay rules to sue on a "no win, no fee" basis.

Union claims bosses bullying staff into pay cuts 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:10:00 +0100

COUNCIL chiefs have been accused of using "threatening and bullying tactics" to force workers to sign new contracts, which will see some facing pay cuts of up to £3000. Thousands of employees at West Lothian Council fear they will lose their jobs if they do not accept the new terms and conditions.

Wage guarantee averts walk-out at Cummins 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:08:00 +0100

Strike action at a Darlington factory has been avoided, after workers reached an agreement with employers over pay. Cummins Engines, which employs 850 workers, presented union officials with a set of proposals to stop a walk-out after a new pay structure and re-grading exercise caused unrest among up to 700 workers.

Binmen refusing overtime in strike over pay 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:06:32 +0100

Binmen are refusing to work overtime in wildcat strikes over threatened pay cuts of up to £5000, sparking fears rubbish will be left to pile up in city streets. Binmen working in Edinburgh with up to 20 years service claim they are afraid of losing their homes, or of being unable to support their families

West Lothian Council staff consider strike over pay re gradings 14/06/07

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:04:19 +0100

Hundreds of West Lothian Council staff may be balloted for strike action after it was revealed a single status wages review could cut their pay. Some 14 per cent of council employees roughly 850 have been red-circled and will have their wages reduced, by up to £7,000 in some cases.

Thousands of council workers face swingeing pay cuts 06/06/07

Wed, 6 Jun 2007 20:56:25 +0100

THOUSANDS of city council workers face losing up to £4000 a year under a new wage structure. The move is part of a nationwide restructuring of local authority wage structures which will see many benefit through new equal pay rules. But union leaders fear up to 3000 people, or one in five staff, could see their salaries cut under the scheme.

Class assistants low pay struggle 03/06/07

Sun, 3 Jun 2007 10:12:20 +0100

INVERCLYDE’S 300 classroom assistants are paid less than street sweepers and refuse workers. Unions believe the pay comparison is an insult to the council employees who play a vital role in the education of Inverclyde’s schoolchildren. Their calls have been backed up by a report published by the Equal Opportunities Commission which found classroom assistants to be underpaid and undervalued.

Council staff face showdown over forced £3000 pay cuts 03/06/07

Sun, 3 Jun 2007 10:08:48 +0100

HUNDREDS of council workers may be balloted over industrial action after being told their pay will be cut by up to £3000. Around 850 staff at West Lothian Council will see their salaries reduced as part of a massive review of local authority wage structures. The remainder of the council's 6000 workers will get paid more, or stay the same.

Classroom assistants undervalued 03/06/07

Sun, 3 Jun 2007 10:07:42 +0100

UNIONS yesterday welcomed a new report which criticises the poor pay and conditions of classroom assistants. The local branch of Unison said it strengthens their hand as they try to thrash out a better deal with council chiefs over a pay equality deal.

Pay inequality putting care services at risk, report warns 31/05/07

Thu, 31 May 2007 17:30:39 +0100

Female-dominated caring professions are being undermined by "pocket money" pay rates and high staff turnover, a report warned today. The Equal Opportunities Commission said services such as childminding and caring for the sick or elderly were being put at risk because work traditionally done by women is undervalued.

Equality body demands urgent end to 'scandalous' low pay for classroom assistants 30/05/07

Wed, 30 May 2007 07:12:00 +0100

CLASSROOM assistants are "scandalously" undervalued and underpaid, Scotland's equal opportunities commissioner warned yesterday. In a report, the Equal Opportunities Commission Scotland (EOC) said the country's helpers, most of them women, are being denied equal pay and proper conditions.

Greenwich workers shame councillors 27/05/07

Sun, 27 May 2007 14:20:44 +0100

OVER 100 Greenwich council workers fighting against proposed cuts to pay and conditions shouted "shame on you" as councillors entered the town hall on the evening of 16 May. The council plans to use Single Status to attack wages and working conditions.

Workers take on union in equal pay fight 27/05/07

Sun, 27 May 2007 09:59:16 +0100

TWO former home carers are taking legal action amid claims their union lost them thousands of pounds in equal pay compensation. Dorothy Kent and Lorraine Crebbin were not among more than 2,000, mostly female Bolton Council staff, such as dinner and lollipop ladies, awarded more than £7.2 million.

Lothians staff face cuts in pay of £4000 in new wages deal 26/05/07

Sat, 26 May 2007 19:52:39 +0100

Around 500, or 15 per cent of employees, are expected to see cuts in pay of up to £4,000 per annum, in some cases more, under the national single status job evaluation exercise. Edinburgh City Council is still negotiating with unions, and is expected to finalise details in the summer while initial talks have started in Midlothian and West Lothian.

Public bodies are likely to have to fork out millions in equal pay claims. 26/05/07

Sat, 26 May 2007 19:36:24 +0100

Equal pay is an ever-bigger headache. The total cost of eradicating anomalies between women's and men's salaries and finding up to six years' back pay could be around £10bn. This might only be the tip of the iceberg. Lawyers predict the new gender equality duty will lead to a spike in the number of equal pay claims.

Dumfries and Galloway Council faces tribunals avalanche 26/05/07

Sat, 26 May 2007 08:44:34 +0100

More than 200 female education workers are taking court action against the council over single status/equal pay re-gradings and equal pay claims. They feel short changed by a lump sum equal pay compensation offer.

Job evaluation changes fuel unrest at engine manufacturer 26/05/07

Sat, 26 May 2007 08:04:03 +0100

Up to 700 workers at engine maker Cummins are involved in a dispute over pay changes which could lead to industrial action. The company has introduced a new pay scale at its Darlington factory after a job evaluation programme, which has caused "unrest" among many of the 850-strong workforce.

East Lothian Council staff face swingeing pay cuts 26/05/07

Sat, 26 May 2007 08:02:27 +0100

Hundreds of East Lothian council staff are facing pay cuts, in some cases as much as £4,000 per year, life altering ammounts. Although most of the East Lothian Council employees affected by ‘single status’ agreement stand to see their pay packets rise, a fair proportion will see their salaries cut and have to suffer the resulting stress and loss of morale associated with losing such large ammounts of money.

Harman warns of £3bn equal pay timebomb facing councils 26/05/07

Sat, 26 May 2007 08:00:54 +0100

Labour deputy leadership candidate Harriet Harman will today admit the government is failing to get a grip on how to handle the £3bn bill facing local government due to equal pay claims. She says: "It is urgent that we have strong leadership from the top of government on this issue and I can provide it. There is a mounting problem that needs to be sorted out. "

Unions win EU equal pay battle 23/05/07

Wed, 23 May 2007 18:23:39 +0100

Unions fighting the threat of cheap labour from migrant workers from new EU member states won the latest round of a legal battle over equal pay today. An Advocate-General at the European Court of Justice said trade unions motivated by objectives which are in the public interest had the right to oblige firms supplying workers from other EU countries to apply domestic pay rates

Equal pay costs used to undermine school meals service 17/05/07

Thu, 17 May 2007 16:00:16 +0100

The future of hot school meals in Waltham Forest could be under threat because the council will not be providing a service to schools from next year. Most of the borough's schools and colleges currently have their meals provided by the council's Waltham Forest Catering Service. Rising costs due to new Government healthy food regulations, increased wage costs because of equal pay agreements and new regulations are behind the council's proposals to disband the service.

Equal pay row settled in £2m deal 16/05/07

Wed, 16 May 2007 15:45:15 +0100

A SCOTS council has agreed a £2million deal to end a long- running equal pay row. The move breaks a three-year deadlock between union leaders and council officials in East Renfrewshire. Unison had urged its members to reject the single status package, which will affect more than 3500 administrative, professional, technical and clerical staff.

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY SINGLE STATUS DEAL DOUBTS 15/05/07

Tue, 15 May 2007 21:19:49 +0100

A MULTI-MILLION pound pay equality deal could be knocked back by council workers. Union chiefs are predicting a ‘no’ vote in the Single Status proposal when 4,500 members are balloted at the end of May.

Back-pay delays for health staff 13/05/07

Sun, 13 May 2007 12:08:33 +0100

The health board in the Western Isles has denied ongoing financial difficulties are to blame for delays to some staff receiving back-pay. The authority said, by the end of May, 96% of re-graded staff would have been assimilated. The delays affect about 40 staff who received new gradings as part of the government's Agenda For Change reforms.

Greenwich workers fight on 12/05/07

Sat, 12 May 2007 18:33:58 +0100

THE CAMPAIGN by Greenwich council workers to stop a package of cuts to pay and conditions is still going from strength to strength. The council has proposed a package that will include pay cuts of up to £130 a week. Council workers, led by Greenwich UNISON where Socialist Party member Onay Kasab is branch secretary, have mounted a mass campaign of opposition.

Growing discontent at unequal pay among NHS staff 12/05/07

Sat, 12 May 2007 09:09:15 +0100

Hundreds of NHS workers in Tayside and Fife are pursuing equal pay claims, with individuals seeking settlements of several thousand pounds. They believe their employers have discriminated against people doing similar types of work for different rates of pay, and say discrimination led to years of underpaying.

Nurses downgraded in job evaluation exercise threaten strike action 12/05/07

Sat, 12 May 2007 09:04:38 +0100

Job evaluation woes hit the NHS. Last ditch talks are taking place after GMB trade union members at Barnsley Hospital voted to take strike action over staffing levels in operating theatres and the downgrading of specialist nurses after a job evaluation exercise.

Refuse collector strike was over pay fears 10/05/07

Thu, 10 May 2007 06:53:16 +0100

St Helens binmen held their unofficial strike over fears they could face major wage cuts in 2009. Unison representative, Steve Fay, said that bonus payments could be slashed as equal pay laws may find them illegal in the next two years.

Fury at councils over single status and outsourcing 09/05/07

Wed, 9 May 2007 14:57:42 +0100

Workers in the GMB union at Birmingham council showed overwhelming opposition to the single status agreement in the first of several mass meetings last week.

Bid to find fair pay deal for all 07/05/07

Mon, 7 May 2007 09:40:31 +0100

Council bosses and trade unions in the North-East will stage a conference tomorrow as they strive to find a solution to an equal pay problem which will land taxpayers with a multi-million pound bill. Talks will be held at the Gateshead event in an effort to reach settlements with underpaid women workers which would avoid a string of crippling industrial tribunals.

Pay revolt threatens summer of discontent 06/05/07

Sun, 6 May 2007 12:21:36 +0100

The possibility of a summer of discontent at Birmingham City Council moved closer yesterday after workers voted to reject new salary grades and threatened the local authority with legal action. In the first of several mass meetings members of the GMB union registered overwhelming opposition to the single status agreement

COUNCIL STRIKE ACTION THREAT OVER PAY CUTS 06/05/07

Sun, 6 May 2007 12:02:20 +0100

The union Unison is to ballot its 2,000 Argyll and Bute Council members over possible strike action in protest over proposals which would see some workers losing thousands of pounds a year in pay. The re-evaluation of council jobs, salaries and service conditions, carried out as part of the national single status pay agreement, has caused anger among many staff in recent weeks.

School staff join equal pay battle 03/05/07

Thu, 3 May 2007 20:36:36 +0100

UP to 200 classroom assistants and special needs staff could take Inverclyde Council to a tribunal over pay. The workers are set to take their bosses to task after they were ruled out of equal pay deals awarded to more than 800 catering assistants, cleaners and home helps over the last year

Staff threaten to strike after rift with mayor 03/05/07

Thu, 3 May 2007 15:06:46 +0100

STAFF working for the council have threatened to strike after they were barred from a public meeting by the mayor. Unison members booed and jeered councillors as they attended a full council meeting at Woolwich Town Hall, Wellington Street last Wednesday. The industrial unrest is due to the council's proposals to change workers' pay conditions to a new 'single status' system whereby pay is standardised.

Council wage on way down 30/04/07

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:21:29 +0100

A NEW salary system at Birmingham City Council which the Government said would be fairer will result in 24,000 staff being paid significantly below the national average wage.

Council wages branded poverty pay 30/04/07

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:19:47 +0100

A new salary system at Birmingham City Council will result in more than half the workforce being paid less than £17,400 a year, significantly below the national average wage. More than 24,000 employees including school cooks, home care assistants, teaching assistants and caretakers can expect to receive no more than £333 a week when the single status pay review comes into force at the end of September.

Low pay is a fact of life

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:17:38 +0100

Human Resources bosses at Birmingham City Council insisted last night they could do nothing to improve the lot of 24,000 local authority workers who will be paid no more than £333 a week when single status employment reforms come into effect.

Women still losing out after years of equality laws 29/04/06

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:12:35 +0100

GENDER INEQUALITY remains entrenched in Scotland despite decades of equal opportunities legislation, new initiatives and social change, a major new report has found.

Union lodges 11,000 equal pay bids 25/04/07

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:47:09 +0100

Unison has lodged 11,000 equal pay claims at employment tribunals to win thousands of pounds in back pay for health workers, it has been revealed. Unison said it was pressing ahead with the cases after accusing the Government of refusing to negotiate a deal

Dinner ladies win equal pay fight 25/04/07

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:45:23 +0100

A group of school dinner ladies could be awarded thousands of pounds after winning their equal pay battle. The House of Lords ruled in favour of the women who said they were victimised by St Helens Borough Council.

Council warned of wages backlash 21/04/07

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:27:41 +0100

A radical wages shake-up designed to end low pay for women at Birmingham City Council could result in hundreds of female employees suing the local authority for unfair treatment.

Council hit by cost of change 21/04/07

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:26:05 +0100

The single status initiative was designed to end discriminatory employment practices, stop local authorities unfairly rewarding male manual employees with automatic bonus payments and give much-deserved wage rises to poorly paid female workers under the banner of equal pay for equal work.

Greenwich UNISON steps up fight against pay cuts 21/04/07

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 18:48:57 +0100

GREENWICH UNISON is preparing to lobby Greenwich council again in defence of council workers' pay and in support of equal pay for low-paid workers. The council's proposals under the Single Status scheme could lead to significant cuts in pay for many staff.

Council forced to cut cash for communities 18/04/07

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:34:36 +0100

CASH set aside to help communities is being slashed as part of Cumbria County Council’s money-saving mission. The council is tightening its belt as it expects an equal pay claim brought by about 3,000 women workers to cost the authority 10s of millions of pounds.

Single Status striker interviewed on German TV 17/04/07

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:27:06 +0100

A Coventry Council employee, street cleaner Mark Butcher, has been interviewed on the German equivalent of Newsnight about the bitter single status pay dispute at Coventry City Council.

Parking staff row leaves kids to cross road alone 16/04/07

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:27:08 +0100

HUNDREDS of school pupils in Glasgow are getting no help to cross busy roads from today due to a dispute with parking attendants. The 125 uniformed officers have provided cover at schools where there's no lollipop man or lady. They say the duty is not part of their new contracts which came into force on April 1 as part of the council's controversial pay review.

Council staff given up to £15,000 in equal-pay settlement 14/04/07

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 07:57:24 +0100

Around 1000 Glasgow council workers are in line to receive thousands of pounds in equal-pay catch-up payments at the end of June. Offers will be made in the middle of next month in line with a mechanism agreed between the city council and lawyer Stefan Cross, whose Action4Equality organisation has pursued their cases on a no-win no-fee basis.

Equal pay penalises hardest workers 13/04/07

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:58:21 +0100

Equal pay is unfair and penalises the workers who put in the most effort, a pioneering research study has said. It argues that real fairness means that companies and organisations should pay staff according to how hard and well they work.

Trade union optimistic on equal pay deal 12/04/07

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:07:23 +0100

THE UNION representing many council workers in Tayside who are waiting for settlement of their equal pay claims voiced optimism last night that the issue could be determined by year’s end. The national single status scheme, which has largely superseded the equal pay strategy, is expected to cost Dundee City Council alone £6 million over three years, but the bill for Tayside’s other councils plus Tayside Contracts shared between the three authorities will put costs up steeply.

Single status review hides pay cuts 12/04/07

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:03:04 +0100

Figures showing the impact of the single status pay review at Birmingham City Council have been massaged to disguise the number of employees facing wage cuts, it has been alleged.

Equal pay 'farce' slammed 12/04/07

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:01:23 +0100

Equal pay plans made by the Government to ensure male and female council workers are paid the same money for the same work have been slammed as a "complete farce" by an employment lawyer. Stefan Cross.

Pay under scrutiny in bid to boost equality 11/04/07

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:03:04 +0100

THOUSANDS of workers are having their salaries reviewed in a bid to even out pay for council jobs. The earnings of about 6,000 people working for Portsmouth City Council, not including teachers, will be considered.

Cleaners 250k lawsuit

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:15:53 +0100

CLEANERS and dinner ladies have launched a £250,000 lawsuit against Bury council over sex discrimination payments. Councils across the country are in the process of compensating staff in female-dominated posts who were denied bonuses offered to binmen and street cleaners.

Council staff dispute will hit services 05/04/07

Thu, 5 Apr 2007 19:26:06 +0100

HUNDREDS of council workers in Glasgow are poised to take industrial action after their overtime payments were cut. The dispute could hit services such as weekend refuse removal and grave-digging in the run-up to next month's local authority elections.

Council re-grade leads to 3000 plus appeals 05/04/07

Thu, 5 Apr 2007 19:23:38 +0100

OVER 3000 North Lanarkshire Council employees have lodged appeals against moves to re-grade their jobs. The 3075 total represents about 20 per cent of the 15,500 staff affected by so-called single status measures.

SINGLE STATUS PAY CUTS ANGER DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY STAFF 04/04/07

Wed, 4 Apr 2007 20:41:13 +0100

AN ESTIMATED 1,000 people face plummeting salary cheques as the council moves towards a single status deal. Some long term employees could end up more than £2,000 a year out of pocket.

Single status revolt in Greenwich 03/04/07

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 21:01:53 +0100

Greenwich council in south east London has announced plans to slash wages and annual leave under the guise of a single status deal.

Coventry Library workers pay protest

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 16:59:13 +0100

LIBRARY workers went on strike yesterday as part of the ongoing bitter single status pay dispute which affects city council workers. Bell Green Library and Learning Centre was shut and staff staged a picket line out-side in Riley Square, Bell Green, to tell the public why they were striking.

Staff unhappy over pay proposal 03/04/07

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 16:55:47 +0100

Union officials in Dumfries and Galloway have received a lot of complaints after about 1,000 council staff got letters outlining wage cuts. The cuts are part of single status plans to address equal pay issues.

Unions call for equal pay 03/04/07

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 16:53:46 +0100

UNIONS representing college lecturers are calling for their members to be paid the same as school teachers. A joint pay claim has been made by lecturers' unions the University and College Union and Association of Teachers and Lecturers, and support staff unions the GMB, the Trades and General Workers Union and Unison.

Coventry Library is closed by strike 03/04/07

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 07:24:58 +0100

BELL Green library will be closed today because staff are going on strike over a bitter pay dispute. Unison members will walk out for a day in protest over the single status pay package imposed on staff in June 2005.

New local authority pay structures could open the way for backdated compensation claims 02/04/07

Mon, 2 Apr 2007 18:13:41 +0100

The deadline of the 31 March has now passed for local authorities to introduce equal pay structures on a voluntary basis in accordance with the 2004 Local Government Pay Agreement. But while some organizations may now be breathing a sigh of relief, this could be short-lived

Library staff to strike 02/04/07

Mon, 2 Apr 2007 14:30:30 +0100

Wigan's libraries will close tomorrow as staff take industrial action. Shop stewards are expecting strong support for the 24-hour walkout after more than 84 per cent of staff backed a ballot for action. More than 150 librarians three quarters of staff are expected to walk out over the loss of special pay increments for weekend working.

The Single Status scandal 01/04/07

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 17:36:37 +0100

TENS OF thousands of local government workers are up in arms as the results of the single status new pay and grading scheme are rolled out by their employers

TUC-Government must act on equal pay 01/04/07

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 17:27:18 +0100

On the eve of the deadline for local councils to implement the 2004 agreement on equal pay and single status for their staff, likely to be missed by at least one third, the TUC has called on the government to intervene to ensure women council employees win equal pay.

CARE OFFICERS HIT OUT AT COUNCIL PAY ULTIMATUM 29/03/07

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:19:57 +0100

Two social care officers have said they are "disgusted" with Perth and Kinross Council for issuing them with a "threatening ultimatum". Mary Eley and her daughter, Julie-Anne, have more than 17 years' experience between them, but are angry at their treatment by the local authority over a new "single status" pay structure.

Shetland Islands Council withdraws Single Status proposals 29/03/07

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:29:17 +0100

Shetland Islands Council has put on hold its controversial proposals for single status after they were rejected by two union ballots. The local authority also agreed to carry out an "independent review" of the whole process.

GMB Scotland condemns East Ayreshire Council pay cuts 29/03/07

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:27:59 +0100

East Ayreshire Council has taken a decision to impose a new pay structure on it's workforce despite it being rejected by GMB Scotland members in a recent Ballot by an 82% majority.

Greenwich single status scandal 27/03/07

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 21:26:49 +0100

OVER 600 Greenwich UNISON members attended a mass meeting on 14 March, following the council's latest proposals to attack pay and conditions under the guise of 'single status'.

Single status: demanding equal pay and no cuts 27/03/07

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:17:23 +0100

Around 300 council workers lobbied Birmingham council's cabinet meeting on Monday lunchtime. The meeting was due to decide to implement the single status proposals.

Prentis condemns Single Status pay cuts 27/03/07

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:05:09 +0100

Has the national leadership of Unison finally woken up to the disaster unfolding in Local Government due to life altering single status pay cuts being inflicted on large swathes of workers or is it mere rhetoric?

Equal pay for council workers: whose bill is it anyway? 27/03/07

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:02:17 +0100

Local authorities have just four days left to implement the single status agreement - despite having had 10 years to sort the issue out. The deal sought to harmonize terms and conditions for former manual and white collar workers in Local Government.

Library staff walk out in bitter pay row 26/03/07

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:44:00 +0100

STAFF at Bell Green library in Coventry are to go on strike a week today over a bitter council pay row. Trade union Unison is calling the one-day stoppage despite what looks like a breakthrough in the long dispute with the council.

Legal wrangle over back pay bonanza 26/03/07

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:40:35 +0100

ONE of Britain's leading no win, no fee lawyers has promised a showdown with the unions to help former Birmingham council workers claim their share of a backpay bonanza.

Union anger at equal pay bribe 24/03/07

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 20:32:56 +0000

Trade Union leaders have hit out at Perth and Kinross Council for offering staff up to £500 to sign new equal pay agreements in a move they claim is calculated to rush through a deal. Unison claims the council is going behind the Unions' backs and that workers have not yet seen the new contracts.

Shetland workers vote no to single status pay proposals

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:00:07 +0000

COUNCIL staff who voted in trade union ballots have overwhelmingly rejected the council's single status pay offer this week. The Unison result, which showed that 93 per cent of its 1,000-strong membership rejected the proposal, was announced on Wednesday by union staff in Aberdeen.

Councils face equal-pay claims 'time bomb' as deadline looms 23/03/07

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:58:07 +0000

Large numbers of local authorities are set to miss the March 31 deadline for agreeing new equal-pay deals, says a study by Incomes Data Services, the pay and benefit specialists.

Millions due in equal pay 22/03/07

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:52:19 +0000

Lambeth Council will owe millions of pounds in back pay, once it sets equal pay structures for posts traditionally held by women. Negotiations between the council and trade unions about the new system are still raging, despite a March 31 deadline to implement changes discussed 10 years ago.

Falkirk strike threat lifted 22/03/07

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 07:17:14 +0000

THE threat of further disruption to council services has been lifted. Union bosses have suspended all industrial action in the meantime as both sides have agreed to look again at the new pay and terms and conditions package introduced for employees by Falkirk Council last year. The local authority had made the move in response to Scottish Executive instructions to implement single status and equal pay.

Council workers fight against pay injustice 21/03/07

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:54:49 +0000

Over 2,500 Birmingham local government workers gathered last week at one of the biggest trade union mass meetings for years. The crowd met at Birmingham City football ground to discuss resistance to the Tory-Lib Dem council’s plans to impose the single status deal.

Fight for equal pay reaches crisis point 21/03/07

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:49:42 +0000

The public sector is in crisis over equal pay. It seems everyone unions, employers, female employees is suing, or being sued amid warnings that compensation payments to 1.5m women, illegally paid less than male colleagues, could cost the taxpayer more than £10 billion. It could also mean male staff losing up to 40% of their earnings as salaries are equalised down, not up.

COUNCIL STAFF ACCEPT NEW CONDITIONS 21/03/07

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:48:28 +0000

AFTER a second ballot, Fife Council workers have decided to accept a new terms and conditions package. Over 70 per cent of Unison and GMB members decided to vote in favour of the deal that will see the introduction of a standard 36-hour week for all employees and greater flexible working opportunities.

Legal threat over pay equality 19/03/07

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 21:21:25 +0000

Trade Unions say Welsh councils may face legal action unless their female employees are paid the same as men. The GMB and Unison claim women working for councils have been under-paid compared to men in equivalent jobs.

Unions delay equal pay poll 18/03/07

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:52:14 +0000

UNIONS have put on hold until May a ballot of Hampshire County Council workers over whether to accept a new equal pay structure. Some 4,055 workers are set for a pay cut with some losing up to £5,000 per year after their jobs were re-evaluated under an agreement with unions to end the gender pay gap.

50million pound equal pay bill

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:50:23 +0000

One of the region's councils says it may have to seek permission from the Government to borrow £15m to fund equal pay claims. Cumbria County Council is facing a £50m bill to compensate female workers paid less than male colleagues doing similar jobs.

Equal pay compensation claims cost £117m ....and counting

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:48:15 +0000

LOCAL AUTHORITIES are facing thousands of equal pay compensation claims with industrial tribunals likely to run into the next decade as employees countinue to reject derisory offers. A Sunday Herald survey of Scotland's 32 local authorities has shown that they have already paid out £117 million. However, with trade unions and "no-win no fee" lawyers currently involved in 13,000 thousand legal claims awaiting tribunal, this figure is set to increase dramatically.

Staff appeal against pay reductions 18/03/07

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:46:42 +0000

AROUND 2,000 Devon staff have lodged appeals because of changes to their pay as part of a controversial job evaluation scheme. A total of 17,193 letters have been sent out from Devon County Council to authority workers and non-teaching school staff explaining how they will be affected by the programme to revise their pay and grade, which comes into force on Sunday, April 1

Fury at not-so-fair pay cuts 17/03/07

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:00:34 +0000

BIRMINGHAM Council staff facing wage cuts of up to £20,000 say they've been ordered to sign new contracts - or face dismissal. Managers in the human resources department are reported to have made the threat as they try to force through the single status agreement, designed to guarantee pay equality.

Unions call for detail on SIC single status pay offer 17/03/07

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 18:21:56 +0000

TRADE unions affected by the single status pay changes are asking Shetland council for exact details of their pay offer. The three unions want this information so that members know precisely what the changes mean to them before they vote on it.

Prentis in Coventry for Single Status talks 17/03/07

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 10:04:50 +0000

UNION officials have held top-level talks over the on-going single status pay dispute with Coventry City Council. Unison's general secretary, Dave Prentis, met with Coventry and West Midlands branch members of the union to support their fight for equal pay.

COUNCIL WORKERS URGED TO VOTE ON DEAL 15/03/07

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:42:04 +0000

FIFE Council workers are being balloted by trade unions over the next few weeks on proposals for new terms and conditions. Unison, GMB and T&G are asking their members to vote on the package and influence their future working arrangements.

Neath Port Talbot Council staff sign up for equal pay compensation as council bypasses unions 15/03/07

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:20:43 +0000

About 2,300 employees at Neath Port Talbot Council are attending signing days to receive equal pay payouts at a total cost of £8.8m.

GMB Scotland Welcomes Agreement Reached In Dispute With Falkirk Council 15/03/07

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:18:22 +0000

GMB Scotland has welcomed an Agreement on a way forward in the dispute with Falkirk Council over the introduction of a new pay model and terms and conditions package.

4 Million pound refund on the cards for Surrey workers

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:19:03 +0000

EMPLOYEES at Surrey County Council could get up to 4 million pounds in back pay to bring their salaries in line with other workers. County Hall is continuing to review its pay and grading procedures to identify possible earning discrepancies. The Local Government Association (LGA) has told some councils to implement single-status equal pay agreements by March 31 for employees such as rubbish collectors and school catering staff.

Equal-pay deadline fails despite ten years notice 13/03/07

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 15:21:47 +0000

More than half all local authorities will miss the March 31 deadline for new equal-pay deals to be in place, despite being given ten years notice. The councils are blaming multimillion-pound compensation claims taken by women in the North East, Scotland and West Midlands challenging equal-pay deals agreed over the past two years between trade unions and local authorities.

2 Million pounds earmarked for Council Salaries

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 15:12:08 +0000

AROUND 2 million pounds has been ear-marked by a council to finance a projected wage bill increase which is due to an equal pay agreement approved 10 years ago. Bedfordshire County Council has set aside the money for the introduction of Single Status on April 1, an agreement put in place in 1997 between trade unions and councils to equalise pay and terms and conditions between male and female employees.

Ministers must consider options to help councils implement equal pay 12/03/07

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:34:20 +0000

Ministers must consider allowing councils to capitalise back pay in order to rectify anomalies in equal pay in local authorities, according to council leaders. They are also urged to consider legal reforms that would ensure employers and unions can reach agreements on equal pay via a process of arbitration.

Whitehall faces legal challenges over equal pay 12/03/07

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:21:35 +0000

Thousands of female civil servants are poised to launch equal pay claims following the failure of departments to address glaring disparities in salaries.legal challenges that could cost the Treasury millions of pounds.

Men face pay cuts to fund equality in public sector 12/03/07

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:17:52 +0000

Thousands of public sector workers face substantial salary cuts to cover the cost of equal pay agreements. Male staff could have their pay slashed as jobs are re-evaluated in the light of higher salaries and backdated pay for hundreds of thousands of women workers.

Men are to pay a high price for sexual equality 12/03/07

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:05:57 +0000

Hundreds of thousands of men face salary cuts of up to £15,000 to fund increases for women staff. The new pay structures are expected to lead to strikes and court action in the public sector.

Equality solution threatens to cost a packet 12/03/07

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:03:38 +0000

Q What is the problem? A. More than a million low-paid public sector workers could claim compensation payments totalling more than £5 billion because of an EU ruling on equal pay in 2003

Shetland Council Staff win first battle in council pay war 09/03/07

Fri, 9 Mar 2007 18:21:17 +0000

A PAY shake-up affecting more than 3,000 council workers looks set to be suspended for six months.The council's single status offer descended into chaos this week as the effects of the proposals hit home.Convener Sandy Cluness is willing to call a special meeting of the council to discuss suspending the process. The three unions involved in the single status pay negotiations have written to the convener urging for the pay offers to be scrapped and the whole process renegotiated.

Council to make amends for unequal pay 09/03/07

Fri, 9 Mar 2007 18:19:09 +0000

STAFF claiming compensation at Neath Port Talbot Council will receive an average of £3,500 each this week. The local authority is handing out cheques of up to £7,500 per person, to staff in the catering, cleaning and care sector.They are almost all women who historically have not received the same productivity bonus payments as male employees.

COUNCIL STAFF URGED TO VOTE IN BALLOT 09/03/07

Fri, 9 Mar 2007 18:16:44 +0000

AROUND 6500 Fife Council employees have still to respond to a ballot by trade unions over proposals for new single status/equal pay terms and conditions. Members of Unison, the GMB and the Transport and General Workers' Union have been asked to vote on the terms and conditions package and influence their future working arrangements.

COUNCIL STAFF IN THREAT OF STRIKE ACTION 07/03/07

Wed, 7 Mar 2007 15:12:01 +0000

Irate council workers in Oban have warned that they are willing to take immediate strike action over single status pay proposals which would see some of them lose thousands of pounds a year in pay.

Birmingham Council staff face £20,000 single status pay cuts 06/03/07

Tue, 6 Mar 2007 18:50:40 +0000

Some workers at Birmingham City Council are in line for wage cuts of up to £20,000 a year as a result of job evaluations under the national single status agreement.

Blair Must Sort Out Equal Pay Black Hole 06/03/07

Tue, 6 Mar 2007 15:40:31 +0000

Councils throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are withholding some £3-5billion in compensation owed to their low paid women workers primarily care workers, cooks, cleaners and support staff in schools.

The equal pay deal that will add £300 to council tax bills 06/03/07

Tue, 6 Mar 2007 07:18:21 +0000

Council tax payers face a bill of more than £300 each to cover the cost of giving equal pay to women public-sector workers, it has been revealed.

Council tax to rise as 'parasitic lawyers' chase equal pay claims 06/03/07

Tue, 6 Mar 2007 07:16:23 +0000

Town halls will be forced to raise council tax and cut services next year to fund crippling equal-pay claims fought by ruthless and parasitic lawyers, it was claimed yesterday.

Unions fear job cuts over equal pay moves 05/03/07

Mon, 5 Mar 2007 15:23:21 +0000

Councils may have to cut jobs as they struggle to meet a deadline to bring in equal pay for employees, unions warned today. Less than half of councils are expected to meet this month's deadline to equalise pay between men and women doing similar unskilled or low-skilled jobs.

Oban council staff ready to go to war over Single Status pay cuts

Sat, 3 Mar 2007 17:39:11 +0000

Angry council workers in Oban are prepared to strike over proposed pay cuts after a job evaluation scoring system gave school clerical workers "one out of seven" for mental skills. Donald Brown, chairman of Unison's Argyll and Bute Council branch, admitted yesterday that disgruntled staff were "ready to go to war" over proposals arising from the national Single Status pay agreement.

Shetland Island Council to back down on Single Status? 03/03/07

Sat, 3 Mar 2007 17:29:46 +0000

In an apparent change of heart Councillors in Shetland are moving to withdraw their controversial single status pay offer just four days after it was first put on the table, following talks between council convener Sandy Cluness and unions

Unions square up to Shetland Island Council in wages battle 03/03/07

Sat, 3 Mar 2007 12:25:26 +0000

UNIONS and SIC bosses look increasingly set for a major showdown over plans to introduce a single status payscale for all council employees. Over 3,000 council workers received letters this week setting out whether they would be better or worse off under the proposed pay offer.

1000 Argyll & Bute council workers face cuts in wages 02/03/07

Fri, 2 Mar 2007 14:49:05 +0000

Almost 1000 council workers face a cut in wages in the latest attempt by a Scottish local authority to deal with the problem of single status/equal pay. Argyll & Bute Council has written to all 4350 employees outlining the restructuring proposal which will see 23% of the staff taking a pay cut.

Equal pay strife in Bury 02/03/07

Fri, 2 Mar 2007 14:47:35 +0000

HUNDREDS of women who were underpaid by Bury council for their work as cleaners, dinner ladies and care staff won't be considered for compensation - unless they ask for it.

Newham council attacks union reps for not striking 28/02/07

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:43:10 +0000

Newham Council is allegedly using bullying tactics in a dispute over unsafe working. The dispute is allegedly being used as a pretext to introduce savage cuts in terms and conditions under a single status re-grading exercise.

Birmingham battle over single status 27/02/07

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:28:12 +0000

A huge battle is brewing in Birmingham with serious implications for over a million workers across Britain. For over a year, in the absence of a national strategy from the unions to contest single status, workers have hoped there would be a struggle by a powerful group that could serve as an example to others. That could now happen.

Deal or no deal, ladies 26/02/07

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:14:50 +0000

STOCKPORT COUNCIL has been accused of playing Deal Or No Deal with employees in a bid to curb the cost of compensating low-paid women.

Whalley Range High School School axes five top jobs in cash review 26/02/07

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:10:37 +0000

The decision comes as junior staff at Whalley Range High School face job evaluations to ensure fair pay as part of the `single status' scheme. Unions are not opposed to the process, but have warned that dozens of people will lose out.

Hundreds of Shetland council staff face pay cuts 26/02/07

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:51:28 +0000

A quarter of Shetland council's workforce is set to take a pay cut under the single status deal offered by the SIC. And according to council chiefs it will be mainly the clerical and administrative section who'll be hit the hardest among the council's 4,200-strong staff.

DEAL STRUCK WITH COUNCIL IN DISPUTE OVER EQUAL PAY 24/02/07

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:29:19 +0000

Job and pay concerns remained at a council today despite a deal in a dispute with staff. Union bosses said they expect appeals from some dissatisfied workers, although an equal pay agreement had been reached with Aberdeenshire Council.

THREAT OF STRIKE OVER AS EQUAL-PAY DEAL ACCEPTED 24/02/07

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:27:13 +0000

Unions in Aberdeenshire have accepted an equal-pay settlement, putting an end to the threat of industrial action. The Transport and General Workers' Union and the GMB joined Unison, which had already accepted the offer, by agreeing to the conditions with the local authority at a meeting yesterday.

Shetland set for single status/equal pay debate 23/02/07

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:25:28 +0000

Shetland Islands Council and unions are set for a wrangle over controversial equal pay proposals. Letters are due to be sent out to all employees this weekend detailing how they will be affected by the single status plans.

Job losses not ruled out in Dumfries and Galloway single status settlement

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:20:11 +0000

REDUNDANCIES have not been ruled out as Dumfries and Galloway council moves towards an equal pay agreement. Officials were unable to give members assurances about the way jobs can be shed yesterday although the asset management committee went on to rubber stamp the three year, single status programme, agreeing a start up budget of £6m for 2007/08.

NHS faces 10,000 costly equal pay claims 21/02/07

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:37:05 +0000

The NHS is gearing up to fight more than 10,000 equal pay claims from female health service staff that could cost the government millions of pounds. When the workers were put on to the Agenda for Change pay system it became clear that they had been less well paid under the old Whitley pay system than male staff doing work of equal value.

Bolton taps into capitalisation fund for equal pay 21/02/07

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:34:37 +0000

Bolton Council is the latest to cash in on the government's capitalisation agreement for equal pay debts. The council borrowed £4.75m from the Department for Communities and Local Government and received £3m from the Audit Commission for achieving performance targets, it has been revealed.

Government hints at possibility of equal pay lifeline for local councils 21/02/07

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:32:13 +0000

The government has refused to rule out legislating to solve the equal pay crisis that could cost councils up to £5bn in settlements.

Deal struck in equal pay dispute 21/02/07

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:53:20 +0000

A deal has been reached on the long-running equal pay row for staff at Aberdeenshire Council. The GMB and Transport and General Workers unions have now accepted an improved offer from the council.

Local Government staff deliver improved services despite difficulties 21/02/07

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:51:02 +0000

Scotland's local government staff are delivering improved services despite facing failures to deliver equal pay and continuing threats to split up council services.

GMB members in Falkirk to step up strike campaign 21/02/07

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:45:42 +0000

GMB is stepping up the action at Falkirk Council because of the Council's failure to address the outstanding issues of equal pay and single status seriously. The next days of strike action will be 9th, 12th and 13th March.