■ Leeds City Council pay dispute ■ School drive ■ GMB@Work ■ Young members
news
Alison Ricketts is one
of many GMB Leeds
city council workers
speaking out.
£6,000
1,000 women and 1,500 men
working for Leeds City Council
stand to lose up to £6,000 a
year from their pay packets
ahead with its plans. As a result,
GMB members have embarked on
a campaign of industrial action and
legal challenges, lodging over
2,000 equal pay claims.
Working to rule
Our members in the council’s
refuse and street cleaning teams
began a continuous “work to rule”
during April 2008, and there were
three days of strike action in the
fi rst stages of the campaign. GMB
members in the areas of community
caretaking, sports centres, schools
s
o
n
and day centres are now gearing up
to join the dispute.
The people of Leeds are fi rmly
Carl Hodg
backing our members, with GMB
offi ces and local papers receiving
Leeds members in
messages of support for the
campaign on a daily basis.
Speaking at a rally for the strikers,
equal pay fight
held at Leeds Civic Hall on May 8,
GMB shop steward John Eddleston
said: “If these proposals go through,
Leeds City Council will have put me
Pay structure proposed by Leeds City Council has workers up in arms back to where I was in 1993, in terms
of my wages – and for what? They
G
MB members in Leeds are only moderate increases in their are not even bringing women’s pay
in the middle of one of the pay. This is despite the council’s up to the level where it should be.”
most important industrial acknowledgement that their female Alison Ricketts, President of the
disputes in the region’s history, over staff have been undervalued for Leeds School Support Branch said:
equal pay for council workers. years, and its payment of millions
2:1
“Our members working with children
After carrying out a review of of pounds in compensation for A two-to-one with special education needs are
its pay structure – nearly 11 years previous pay inequalities.
majority of
facing pay cuts as a result of the
after it was required to do so by the In addition, 2,500 workers are
Leeds City
council’s proposals – this is an
national Single Status agreement facing cuts in their wages. Up to
Council
absolute disgrace and the parents
of 1997 – Leeds City Council is 1,000 women and 1,500 men stand
workers voted
are backing us 100%.
proposing a new pay system that is to lose up to £6,000 a year, with
to reject the
just as riddled with inequality as the the worst affected workers coming
pay proposals
■ If you work for Leeds City
one it would replace. from the council’s refuse and street
but the
Council then send us your email
cleaning departments. address and we’ll send you
Inequalities of pay
council still
After voting to reject these regular GMB updates. Contact
Under the proposed system, proposals by a majority of two-to-
intends to
Dave Noble (dave.noble@leeds.
low-paid women workers would one, workers have been told that
push ahead
gov.uk) or Sue Osbaldeston (sue.
have to wait up to three years for the council still intends to push osbaldeston@gmb.org.uk).
4 www.gmb.org.uk
IINS02.ykd_news 4NS02.ykd_news 4 11/7/08 17:00:03/7/08 17:00:03
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32