No fire and rehire in Glasgow Council dispute
Scottish Green councillors will force a vote to block bosses and SNP administration in Glasgow City Council bringing back a threat to fire and rehire all of the council’s 23,000 non-teacher workers in a bid to end historic pay discrimination.
Green councillors will bring a vote at Thursday’s City Administration Committee meeting to permanently block officers from sacking the entire Council workforce and re-hiring them on new terms.
Last week talks between council officers and trade unions broke down, and all staff were told that they would be receiving notice letters informing them their current employment contracts were to be terminated.
Following crisis talks with the Scottish Government and all stakeholders, this threat was taken off the table, and negotiators have agreed to pause the process of contract terminations being issued to allow talks to resume this week. That agreement to pause the termination process is set to expire on Friday.
Co-leader of the Green group on Glasgow City Council, Cllr Lana Reid-McConnell said:
“Firing 23,000 workers to impose new terms on them is not the solution to ending Glasgow’s historic pay discrimination against women workers.
“That is why we are forcing a vote of councillors to stop Council officers returning to the threat of fire and rehire following this week’s negotiations, demanding that officers and the SNP administration walk back from this nuclear option.“Further time is needed to reach a deal that all unions are happy to put to their members and that cannot happen with the threat of mass firings hanging over negotiators’ heads.”
Co-leader Cllr Anthony Carroll added:
“Collective agreement is the only way to implement a new pay and grading system in the Council, and Green councillors remain committed to working with all parties to see a fairer deal be put on the table for workers to vote on.
“The Scottish Government has a role to play in financially supporting these negotiations.
"The Deputy First Minister stepped in last week to get fire and rehire off the table. They need to go further & get round the table now to make up for decades of underfunding of Glasgow - funding which will help the Council put an improved offer to unions which they can then take to their members.”
Scottish Greens MSP Iris Duane said:
"The fact that the council even thought appropriate to fire and rehire 23,000 people, just months before it becomes illegal is a ridiculous indictment of the political leadership on show.
"Labour failed generations of women with unequal pay. The current council must not fail workers again by refusing to step up and work positively with unions to get a deal workers can vote on.
"The Scottish Government must also step up, provide financial support and deliver a deal that is fair for all of Glasgow’s workers.
"Greens have consistently worked in good faith to end the legacy of discriminatory pay, the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council cannot let this fall at the final hurdle.
"I am urging the Deputy First Minister and Council Leader Ricky Bell to step in, give the workers and unions the deal they deserve and stop this threatening of workers across Glasgow."