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UNISON KICKS OFF 2008 EQUAL PAY CAMPAIGN WITH 33,000 CLAIMS
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. The union’s litigation and bargaining strategy
will be further fine-tuned by key officials and leading activists
from across the UK, at a special seminar that was held on Wednesday, 9 January
2008 in
London. And it is warning employers to stop sticking their
collective heads in the sand and face up to their responsibilities.
UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:- “As a union
with two-thirds of its members women, UNISON has campaigned long and
hard to get equal pay. But, equal pay is not just the wish list of
the trade unions; it is the law of the land. Yet, thirty years on,
the Equal Pay Act is still seen by many employers as a
take-it-or-leave-it bit of legislation. This cannot be allowed to
continue. It must be implemented robustly across the UK and the
Government must do its bit to fund equal pay for the public
services.
Funding, particularly in local government, remains critical to
achieving equal and fair pay. As a direct result of UNISON’s
campaigning through the Labour Party, the Government released £500
million to 46 local authorities last September to fund equal pay,
but more is needed. In addition, the Government must change the law
to cut the time it takes for legal action. At the moment, it takes
years, is costly and, in the meantime, women remain underpaid.
And the tight rein on spending, with 3% efficiency savings demanded
year on year for the next three years, coupled with a proposed pay
limit, will do nothing to further the aim of fair and equal pay.”
The union, working with the Fawcett Society, declared 30 October
2007 as 'Women’s No Pay Day’. Official figures show a 17%
hourly pay gap between women and men working full time. On the
average salary of £23,600, this equates to women losing out on
around £4,000 a year. The pay gap between men and women working full
time is equivalent to women working for nothing from 30 October to
the end of the year.
UNISON has always maintained that collective bargaining, rather than
lengthy court action, is the best way to ensure equal and fair pay
for all. Agreements in local government and the health service
ensure that as many women as possible get as much as they can in the
shortest possible time. UNISON, with a million women workers
in membership, aims to achieve equal pay and fair pay for all, and
to protect and enhance the terms and conditions of all its members.
The union wants the law changed to include:-
Mandatory equal pay audits – many women, particularly those
in the private sector, may not be aware that they face
discrimination because employers keep pay secret. Unless employers
are open about their pay systems, the gender pay gap will never be
narrowed.
Named comparator – bring UK law into line with European law.
In the UK women have to identify an actual comparator in the same
employment, unlike in the EU. Gender segregation and outsourcing
mean that it is difficult for many women to find a comparator in
their workplace as domestic law dictates.
Representative Actions – Trade unions should be able to bring
representative actions to challenge pay discrimination as a more
efficient means of handling employment tribunal claims.
Statutory Equality Representatives – with paid time off to
identify inequalities could, under strengthened laws, benefit all
parties – government, employer and the workforce. Such
representatives, properly trained, could lead to earlier resolution.
Let us know
what you think by
emailing the Southport Reporter newsroom at
news24@southportreporter.com or via
Skype. |
Share your Mersey Memories at the Albert Dock
VISITORS to
the Albert Dock, on Tuesday 15 January 2007, can help to shape the content of the
new Museum of Liverpool by sharing their memories of the River
Mersey with the museum’s social history team.
Members of the
team will be on hand in the Grand Hall at the Albert Dock at 2pm on
Tuesday, and would love to meet people who have memories to share of
living or working around the river and in the buildings surrounding
the Pier Head and Albert Dock. Ultimately, this important
research will help explain to visitors, and to future generations of
Liverpudlians, how the river has been transformed, and how it has
affected the lives of the people of Liverpool.
The research was inspired by (‘Mersey:- The river that changed the world’),
a collection of photographs by Colin McPherson commissioned by the
Mersey Basin Campaign with sponsorship from United Utilities and
support from Mersey Waterfront.
The exhibition has been on display
at the Albert Dock since December 2007, and moves on to The Boat Museum
at Ellesmere Port in February 2008.
Hundreds of visitors have so far left postcards detailing their
special Mersey memories, everything from tales of high jinks at New
Brighton, and memories of the overhead railway, to an apologetic
note from someone who was sick over an unknown lady whilst
travelling on the Mersey ferry as a child.
The new Museum of Liverpool will be one of the world’s leading city
history museums, setting a global benchmark for museums of its kind.
Housed in a new landmark building within the World Heritage Site on
Liverpool's internationally famous waterfront, it will be a
fantastic legacy of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture.
Joe Edge, Director of the Albert Dock Company said:- “The
Mersey – the River that changed the world has been incredibly well
received exhibition and it was great to see Lord Heseltine back at
the Albert Dock as he was the major driving force behind the Dock’s
development.
We are delighted to be working with Mersey Basin
Campaign and National Museums Liverpool on such an important project
giving the people of Liverpool an opportunity to share their
memories and shape the future content of the Museum of Liverpool”
The museum will demonstrate Liverpool’s unique contribution to the
world, showcasing archaeology through to popular culture, while
tackling social, historical and contemporary issues.
The
social history team will also use this opportunity to share and
discuss latest plans for the new museum.
Letters to the editor:- "Thank you to Asda"
"THIS year,
along with many of my Marie Curie Nursing colleagues, I spent the
festive period with a patient so that they could be at home with
their family.
I am writing to say thank you to Asda for kindly donating 250 gifts,
luxury bouquets of flowers and an Olay Complete Moisturiser - to
nurses, like me, who gave up time with their own families so that
someone with a terminal illness could spend their final Christmas at
home.
Marie Curie Nurses care for terminally ill patients 365 days a year,
giving them the choice of staying where they feel most comfortable,
surrounded by the people and things they love the most.
While it is an honour to share such a special time with patients, I
thank Asda for recognising the difference it makes to patients and
their families." Linda Damon, Marie Curie Nursee |
