Getting Equal - Fair Pay in Scotland's Local Councils

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Getting Equal - Fair Pay in Scotland's Local
Councils
Communicating UNISONs strategy
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Single status/ Job Evaluation

• Background to what is happening
• Complex
• Historical
• Changing
• What do we want - need to clarify to members
• Draft leaflet with background prepared

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Communications input

• Part of overall strategy
• Should be considered at earliest stages
• Keeps members informed
• Gives arguments for Media queries

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Strategy

• Three (or possibly four!) interlinked routes
• Different horses for different courses
• Litigation
• Negotiation (and possible Industrial Action)
• Campaigning

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1 Litigation

• Equal Pay cases
• Why? Years of discrimination/unfair pay etc
• Who? I/d specific groups to work with
• I/d spokespeople - test cases - prepare publicity
• Also use cases to pressurise recalcitrant
  employers
• No win/no fee lawyers
• see draft of separate leaflet

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2. Negotiation ( Industrial action)

• Unlike lawyers - We want fair deal for all
• Fewest no of losers possible
• Maximum possible protection
• If necessary - Industrial Action
• Eg where unfair deals imposed
• Ind Action procedure should be followed

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3. Campaigning

• Funding is not there to allow LAs to deal with
  pay inequalities
• Political Links - LabourLink - other parties
• Election approaching - concentrate minds
• Both MSPs and Local Council

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Campaign Arguments

• This is about Fair Pay for public service workers
• Government responsibility to fund - cf. A4C,
  McCrone etc
• Last budget increase for LG lowest of all public
  services
• Alternatives are unacceptable
• Prolong unequal pay
• Cut services and jobs
• Increase Council Tax

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Problem issues some answers

• Deals/Compensation isnt good enough
• High losers lose too much/are too numerous
• Managers do well
• Political attacks on cost of bureacrats pay
  rise

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Some Answers 1- Deals

• Need to say who is winning
• What they are winning
• Use some arguments from the anti - lawyers
  leaflet
• Get pleased case studies
• fair pay for first time in x years etc

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Some Answers 2- Losers

• UNISON will defend members v unfair pay/job cuts
• Job evaluation not properly financed
• But - JE does mean some will need to stand
  still
• Why we have negotiated protections such as - xx
• Plus new career opps/training opps etc

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Some answers 3- managers

• Scheme/specific implementation Equality Checked?
• Public sector managers underpaid cf private
  sector
• Unfair action (skewing pay line/changing Job
  Outline etc)
• (Be sure of your proof)

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Some Answers 4 - Political

• This is legally required
• Is about delivering fair pay to jobs that have
  been underpaid for years
• Mostly frontline staff - carers/school
  auxiliaries/caterers/cleaners
• Implications of NOT doing it are worse
• N Cumbria HT - 300m cost for 1500 cases

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Planning your Campaign - 1

• Aims - WHAT do you want to achieve?
• Targets - WHO do you need to convince?
• Timetable - are you setting? Is it set for you
• Break campaign into chunks - time and topic
• What do these mean for material?
• Eg - workplace meetings?
• then need speakers notes
• I/d specific areas for special material

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Planning your Campaign - 2

• Start now - gather info - potential winners
  losers
• I/d potential case studies - winners (or losers?)
• Are you going to need special material for
  anyone?
• Eg groups of high losers?
• Work with employer if negotiated agreement

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The Media

• Both Targets in themselves and method of
  communications
• Will be interested in
• Horror stories
• Personal stories - case studies
• Simple explanation (KISS)

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Media Strategy

• Minimise horror stories - negotiation/protection
  etc.
• Need to be seen to be fighting for losers as well
• Maximise the impact of winners - low
  paid/carers etc
• Employers failure to address timeously
• Contact journalists EARLY - brief on background
• Case studies/personal stories
• List negotiated victories (orig proposals v now)

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Media warnings

• Dont
• Promise to take ANY/ALL eq pay cases
• Attack indiv/firms of lawyers
• Do
• Plan your strategy
• I/d who is to deal with what level of query
• I/d three main arguments
• Answer to worst possible question

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Summary

• Plan Communications along with other strategy
• Include it in any budget
• Decide the route(s) likely/desirable for your
  branch
• Set your aims and targets
• Break the campaign into manageable chunks
• Remember the media.