Council bosses are ‘refusing to budge’ over equal pay row

Anger over male employees receiving higher salaries

Female employees have accused Dundee City Council of a refusal to budge in their ongoing equal pay battle.

The local authority was said to have its “head in the sand” on the issue by GMB union representative Helen Meldrum.

She cited women losing out on family and recreation time with some having to take on several jobs, while male employees were paid more. Ms Meldrum voiced her frustration in a letter to council leader John Alexander, stating: “Your responses fail to acknowledge the extent of the discrimination that women face.”

The union is seeking compensation for women employees, an end to discriminatory pay, job re-evaluation and for standards to be universally raised rather than wages or services being cut.

Earlier this week councillors heard testimony over pay disparity from support staff at Kingspark Primary School.

Ms Meldrum said that the GMB had been warning the council for months over its “discriminatory pay policy and potential liability of tens of millions of pounds”.

A council spokesman said the authority continued to engage regarding the equal pay claim.

Councillors have been told that Dundee City Council has its “head in the sand” over an equal pay battle with women workers.

Testimony from support staff at Kingspark Primary was shared with councillors this week, with emotional accounts of unequal pay.

Women employed by Dundee City Council have lost out on thousands of pounds and are discriminated against “every day”, according to the trade union GMB Scotland.

In a strongly worded letter to the leader of the city council, John Alexander, GMB representative Helen Meldrum claimed: “Your responses thus far unfortunately fail to acknowledge the extent of the discrimination that women who work in your city and across Tayside face.

“Women have lost out on family time and time for recreation, some have had to work multiple jobs and have had to work twice as hard as men who have been paid significantly more for turning up to work.

“This cannot be right or a legacy you wish to leave behind when it is within your gift to fix this.”

The union believes the consolidation of the living wage should have been delivered much earlier.

The letter was followed by comments from Ms Meldrum at a meeting of the city council, where she said the authority had its “head in the sand”.

Ms Meldrum said GMB Scotland has four main ongoing objectives:

• Compensation for lost earnings as a result of the discriminatory bonus system;

• Ending discriminatory pay policies throughout Dundee City Council and its arm’s-length external organisations (ALEOS);

• Proper value of all employees’ work through a thorough job re-evaluation process;

• Deliver pay justice for women by raising standards not by cutting pay or services.

She added: “For months now GMB Scotland has warned Dundee City Council it is presiding over a discriminatory pay policy and facing a potential liability of tens of millions of pounds in wages owed to low-paid women workers.

Mr Alexander said: “There is a clearly defined process which includes working through the roles which trade unions believe fall into this category.

“My understanding is that those details are yet to be fully set out and so, alongside all councillors from every party, I will continue to seek positive engagement, through officers, on any and all points being raised.”

A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “We are fully engaging with the processes surrounding the equal pay claim.”

SHOW OF STRENGTH: Women step up pressure on Scottish councils in their campaign to end pay “discrimination”.