Equal Pay strike victory: A historic day for the working class in Glasgow!
Unison and GMB Equal Pay fighters today gathered outside the council City Chambers to celebrate the signing of the settlement for compensation up to 2018, totalling £500 million. Unison striker and Home Care Convenor Denise Philips told the gathering “We have been waiting twelve years for this fighting and struggling. We walked out on strike and here we are today in victory! Thank you to all who supported us.”
Some of the women carried placards thanking the mainly male refuse workers who walked out, in defiance of anti-union laws, in support of the mainly female strikers last October. The slogans included “The dust may have settled but we will remember that the dustmen came out!”
We spoke to Brian Smith, Unison Branch Secretary and Socialist Party Scotland member.
“The deal that has been agreed represents a huge transfer of wealth to working class families in the city and as such represents a seminal victory for the workforce. A victory that would not have been achieved without the marvellous 48 hour strike last October.
“The deal will ensure our members are paid up to 31st March 2018 for the historic pay injustice they suffered. But this is only half the battle as now we need agreements on a new job evaluation scheme going forward.
“As a union we won’t accept any attempts to lower wages and conditions for any worker. Or as the equal pay strikers have rightly described it, to ‘rob Peter to pay Pauline.’ It’s vital that we keep our members organised and ready to fight for pay justice for all.
“The council are funding the deal by borrowing money from Barclay’s bank. This will likely mean an annual mortgage payment of around £35 million a year. On no account should the costs of the equal pay agreement be taken from the jobs and services that working class people in Glasgow rely on.
“With Glasgow already facing a budget shortfall of £40 million this year, councillors need to set no cuts budgets and demand from Holyrood and Westminster the money Glasgow needs to end the underfunding of the city that has been going on for years.”
