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Glasgow City Council has come under significant criticism from its employees after announcing plans to implement a fire-and-rehire strategy amid a deadlock over proposals to address equal pay issues. The council intends to terminate the contracts of more than 23,000 staff members and subsequently offer new contracts. This move follows unsuccessful negotiations with unions regarding changes to the council’s pay system, which was previously deemed discriminatory against predominantly female workers.
The proposed pay restructure aims to rectify inequalities identified in the current system, which has paid certain roles—mostly occupied by women, such as catering and cleaning—less than male-dominated positions like refuse collection. After eight years of discussions, the council agreed last month to revamp the pay and grading structure, a process informed by detailed job evaluations considering thirteen factors such as physical effort, concentration, and mental skills. According to these results, 63% of affected employees would either see an increase or no change in their pay, but around 11% would face a reduction, with some potential losses reaching up to £11,500 annually.
One worker, Joanne, a support for learning assistant, expressed profound distress after learning she would be among those suffering a pay cut, estimating a loss of about £300 per year. She described the situation as “heart breaking” and criticized the council’s claims of caring about its staff. Joanne, who has served Glasgow City Council for 25 years, said, “I came away from my work crying, really, really upset. I couldn’t believe that after 25 years service to Glasgow City Council I am getting let down yet again.” Highlighting the importance of her role, she challenged the council to experience her job for just one day to understand why her pay should not be reduced.
Negotiations between the council and the unions Unison, Unite, and GMB broke down recently when Unison refused to put a proposed pay offer to a member ballot. The council accused Unison of betraying its members by denying them the opportunity to vote, while Unison’s education convener Sylvia Haughey accused the council of “bullying tactics.” Haughey emphasized, “We haven’t betrayed anyone, we certainly haven’t betrayed our members. We are out fighting for our members.” She further stated the union’s intention to continue negotiations, affirming, “We have not walked away from anything. We are willing to speak to the council at any time.”
The Scottish government is urging all parties to resume talks. Health Secretary Neil Gray appealed for further negotiation, emphasizing the government’s support of fair work principles. Unions GMB and Unite have indicated they are prepared to ballot their members and have noted additional funds secured to support the pay structure. However, Unison contended that this extra funding addresses assimilation and arrears but does not alleviate the impact on those facing wage reductions. The looming implementation of UK employment law changes on January 1 means that dismissals for refusing new contracts would become automatically unfair, adding urgency to resolving the impasse. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander condemned the council’s fire-and-rehire plan as poorly timed and unacceptable, urging the council leadership to seek an alternative solution for the benefit of employees and Glasgow residents alike
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