SNP councillors were horrified to learn today of the potential for 10,500 staff to be forced out of Council employment. And they are particularly critical that this plan was released to the press before consideration at any Council committee.

Because of the equal pay settlement, some of the Council's trading organisations have been forced into deficits. The Council's answer to this is to hive them off as separate legal entities. However, the SNP in Glasgow holds the Westminster government to blame for the unequal playing field whereby the public sector is discriminated against.

SNP Group Leader, Councillor John Mason said today: "This is a horrendous state of affairs whereby nearly a third of the workforce could be forced to transfer to semi-private organisations. Such outside bodies should only be the very last resort if all other routes have failed.
 

"While equal pay legislation was well intentioned, clearly no one realised at the time that it would lead to the chopping up of the Council into bits like this. There have been smaller examples in Glasgow, most recently over Surplus Land and Property, but nothing on this scale.

The SNP welcomes the equal pay legislation. However, much Westminster legislation is biased against councils and other public sector bodies. We have to adhere to a higher standard, e.g. with equal pay and pensions, and yet are expected to compete against the private sector. Rather than forcing standards down, would it not be better if private contractors also had to adhere to what is good legislation, intended to improve the working conditions of employees?

The danger is that in the long run all the good work on equal pay is undone. Male building workers will be paid more and more, while women home helps will be paid less and less. We call on the Westminster government to remove this bias against the public sector."

Notes:

1. Glasgow City Council has written to around 10,500 employees warning them of a financial crisis as a result of the equal pay deal.
   
   
2. Around 8,000 are employed by Direct and Care Services (providing home care, cleaning and janitorial services).
   
   
3. A further 2,500 work for Land & Environmental Services (in fleet management, ground maintenance, road maintenance, street cleaning, and refuse collection).