Equal pay resolution at Glasgow City Council delayed as work continues on new pay structure

A resolution to Glasgow’s long-running equal pay issue has been delayed as “complex” work on a new pay structure continues.

Glasgow City Council reached agreements on pay claims with thousands of mainly female workers who have been paid less than men in equivalent roles.

A new pay and grading structure is required to end pay discrimination and the council had hoped to implement the structure by “the latter part of 2024/25”, with March next year suggested.

However, the workforce has been told this will “no longer be possible”. Council officials have reported the change has been “understood and accepted” by trade unions.

Currently, a job evaluation process is ongoing which will inform the development of the pay and grading structure. Job evaluation will determine “the relative importance of a number of different jobs”.

Claims have been settled up to October 15, 2023 — the effective date for the introduction of the new pay and grading structure — but workers will receive backdated payments for the period between that date and the implementation of the structure.

A council spokesman said: “Job evaluation is a key step towards implementing a new fair and equal pay and grading scheme. It is also a very complex task, requiring substantial time and input from a wide range of people — including staff and their representatives.

“The council and trade unions agree that getting the next steps right is of paramount importance. It is important to be clear that any changes to pay will still be backdated to the agreed date of October 2023.”

A new date for the roll out of the structure has not been set. Officials reported the date has been changed due to challenges, including “the priority to ensure robust job evaluation outcomes and meaningful consultation with trade unions”.

They said there are a “number of critical milestones which are exceptionally challenging to forecast”.

An update to councillors added: “The equal pay programme team is working closely with all stakeholders to realise a revised implementation date as speedily as possible and with integrity.”

The council settled over 15,000 claims with staff who had been paid unfairly in 2019, funded by a deal worth over £500m which saw 11 buildings, including the Riverside Museum and Emirates Arena, sold to an arms-length body then leased back.

That deal related to claims submitted before an agreed cut off date of March 31, 2018. Another agreement, worth over £200m, for other claims, including after the cut off, was reached in November 2022.

The funding strategy involved the further sale and leaseback of six properties, including the city chambers, Kelvingrove Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art.

The report on the latest situation will be presented to the city administration committee next week.

It stated: “It is through the implementation of a new pay and grading structure, based on the output of the job evaluation exercise that we will have confidence that we are paying equally for equal work.”