Glasgow City Council halts fire and rehire plans amid calls to end 'posturing' over equal pay
Social work unions had raised the alarm on pay scheme and now say the ‘posturing’ must end
Glasgow City Council has said it will halt a firing and rehiring process for 23,000 staff after talks with unions and the Scottish government.
The council announced on Friday evening that it had reached an understanding after discussions.
On Thursday, the local authority said talks to resolve a long-running equal pay dispute with the Unite, GMB and Unison unions had broken down.
It said that in order to end the current pay arrangements, all non-teaching staff would be dismissed and rehired under new contracts, which would take effect from January 1.
Workforce convener Councillor Allan Casey said: “I’m pleased that we’ve reached a position following a meeting with the Scottish Government and the three unions where a pause has been agreed, allowing the Acas package to be put back on the table and creating the space for further intensive negotiations with the joint trade unions.”
In response, an STUC spokesperson, on behalf of unions Unite, Unison and GMB, said: “We are pleased at the lifting of the threat of fire and rehire and that meaningful negotiations will take place next week.”
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth also welcomed the pause.
She said: “I wanted to bring all parties together to make clear that I expect negotiations between the council and unions to continue so that a collective agreement can be reached and bring an end to discriminatory pay practices.”
Earlier, social work unions sounded the alarm on the threat to services tha would be caused by the mass fire and rehire scheme, while council bosses were said to “feel sick” about their plans for 23,000 workers across the city.
Glasgow City Council communications director Colin Edgar said the local authority was in a “hellish situation” as he blamed Unison for the decision to force workers onto new contracts.
Both the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) and the Social Work Union (SWU) said their staff should have separate protections similar to those of teachers.
George Hannah, Policy Advisor of SASW, said: “Damage has already been done, but if fire and rehire were to go ahead, there is a significant risk to the authority's ability to meet their statutory duties.
“We repeat that social workers across Scotland deserve to be recognised much like their teacher colleagues with their own set of nationally agreed terms and conditions.”
The council has been in negotiations with unions over its plans to implement a new pay and grading system after the previous one was found to discriminate mostly against female workers.
Pay for most staff will stay the same or rise. However, around 11 per cent will see their wages cut, with some by more than £10,000.
Dave Callow, General Secretary of SWU, said: “Posturing and politics between negotiating parties in Glasgow are causing huge amounts of stress and uncertainty for our members and those who work alongside them.
“It is simply unacceptable that the largest local authority in Scotland has been reduced to the sort of employment tactics we would expect from rogue corporations.
“We need to see a return to the table by all parties and a solution found quickly.”
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