Union claim city council’s bill could hit £500m
the interest payments that are going to be added to claims.
“The exact amount of interest is part of the negotiations but no matter what the rate is, it’s going up all the time that the claims aren’t settled.”
The GMB have warned the council to take immediate action or strikes affecting home care and schools will go ahead over the case.
They have issued a seven- day notice for a full industrial action ballot of their 2500 members who work for Cordia Services – an arm’s- length branch of the council who provide care for 87,000 people and deliver catering and cleaning in schools. GMB Scotland organiser Rhea Wolfson said the union are “obviously concerned” about the repercussions that the bill could have on services. She said council bosses “need to talk to the Scottish and UK governments to allow them to get the resources they need to pay this bill”. The equal pay dispute centres on the way jobs were graded over a decade ago. It meant mainly female workers such as cleaners and care assistants may have been earning less than men in jobs deemed to be of equal value. Glasgow City Council denied the GMB’s compensat ion estimates were accurate but didn’t give any figures from the authority’s own accountants.
A spokesman added: “Earlier this year, the counci l, GMB, Unison and Action 4 Equality Scotland signed up to a schedule for talks that we all agreed was likely, given the complexity of the subject, to take us to around the end of the current year.
“Since then, we have made undeniable and signi f icant progress – ending litigation; bringing Cordia back into the council; harmonising the terms and conditions of Cordia staff and agreeing to replace the councils entire pay and grading structure.
“The council are committed to this ongoing process.”