Union launches equal pay claim – without saying which roles are underpaid

A union has launched an equal pay claim against the city council – but has so far failed to say which roles it believes are underpaid.

The local GMB union has had a rocky relationship with Brighton and Hove City Council for decades, but particularly since a report was published last year outlining how reps allegedly bullied staff at the Cityclean depot.

Since then, branch secretary Mark Turner has not been at work, saying he is on long term sick leave, and another rep, Dave Russell, has been charged with possessing a sword at the Hollingbury depot – a charge he denies.

This week, the GMB wrote to the council and published a press release saying it was calling for negotiations over equal pay for women in low paid roles.

It said these roles were equivalent in skills to other male-dominated council roles, but were paid on a lower scale.

The release said the council had been made “fully aware” of the problems, which it said had led to “millions of pounds” of payouts.

However, it did not specify which roles it was talking about – and the council says it has not been told this crucial detail either.

Brighton and Hove News twice asked GMB for this detail on Monday and Tuesday but has not yet received a response.

Similar pay claims have cost other local authorities millions of pounds, most notably Birmingham City Council which has paid out more than a billion pounds to staff over the last decade and declared bankruptcy over further claims.

However, the council today issued a response saying GMB has not only provided no detail of its current claim, but it is not aware of them raising equal pay as an issue previously.

Brighton and Hove City Council is one of the few organisations in the country to have a negative gender pay gap – i.e. the average salary is higher for women than men. This includes roles across the pay banding.

The council’s chief executive Jess Gibbons said: “As an employer that is proud of our commitment to fairness, inclusion and equalities, we take these allegations by the GMB very seriously, and want the information from the GMB.

“We‘ve requested the detail of the GMBs claims since we were contacted by the GMB and the media on Monday morning, but none have been received.

“We will proactively work with both Unison and the GMB on any issues, if and when they are raised, as we always do.”

The council also says it’s been working hard to reset relations with the GMB after the report into the culture at Cityclean, written by Aileen McColgan KC.

Ms Gibbons added: “We’re working hard to embed a culture of openness, respect and collaboration, particularly in light of the report.

“We want to work proactively with both our recognised trade unions so issues can be raised and so we can seek early resolution.”

In the press release, Lib Whitifeld, GMB senior organiser, was quoted as saying: “For years this low paid, predominantly women worker force has been paid less than those in male dominated jobs – jobs rated equivalent under the council’s own job evaluation scheme.

“The money stolen from our members has a significant impact on their day to day lives; they’ve struggled to pay their bills and forced to work longer hours rather than being with their families.

“This council is responsible for not only the loss of pay, but the stolen time and quality of life of these workers.

“They must now settle with all members the full amount, set things right for the future and issue a unreserved apology for this appalling discrimination”

“GMB, as the only union leading on equal pay in Brighton, will hold this council to account for every single penny of stolen wages owed to our members.”

Last year, the council agreed a deal on bank holiday working which came after a ten-year negotition by the other union which represents council workers, Unison.

Unison said it could lead to backpayments of up to £2,000 for about 800 staff – mainly female care workers.