Thousands of women in Glasgow set to take part in one of the biggest equal pay strikes in UK history
The strike is taking place in response to gender pay discrimination
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of female council workers in Glasgow are set to take part in a strike this month over pay discrimination.
It’s believed that the strike will be the largest equal pay strike ever to take place in the UK, with more than 8,000 council workers expected to attend.
The strike has been organised by two trade unions, GMB and Unison, who represent council workers across several fields of work.
It’s been prepared in response to the pay discrimination that’s affected women working in the cleaning, catering, homecare and education industries for more than a decade.
In 2006, a job evaluation scheme was introduced by the Labour-run council with the goal of tackling gender pay equality in the city.
However, the scheme supposedly favoured men, as it included a three-year payment protection programme for men who had missed out on financial bonuses at work.
Furthermore, the scheme resulted in people working in female-dominated jobs such as catering and cleaning receiving a lower salary than those who worked in professions typically associated with men, as salaries were determined after taking irregular working hours into consideration.
Negotiations have been taking place over the past 12 years in order to rectify the situation.
According to Stefan Cross, the lawyer who’s representing 8,000 claimants who’ve taken the city council to court, the strike is a necessary course of action following the failed negotiations.
“It’s just not good enough,” he told The Guardian. “An offer should be the product of negotiations, not the start.
“The women themselves demanded a ballot for strike action after that because their employer was refusing to negotiate.”
Glasgow City Council has been informed by the GMB and Unison Trades Unions that the strike will be carried out on Tuesday October 23 and Wednesday October 24.
The council states that it expects to make on offer to the claimants in December this year, “as agreed” during the negotiations.
However, the strike may affect when the offer is formally given.
“We’re making every effort to negotiation with trade unions to avoid a strike or, if that is not possible, minimise its impact on vulnerable people,” the council states.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments