Labour's women's manifesto branded 'shabby' in row over equal pay pledge

SNP leaders in Glasgow have branded Labour “shabby” after the party’s Women’s Manifesto called for the public sector to “lead by example in ending the scandal of sex discrimination in the workplace in pay”.

The city is still paying off a £548 million bill racked up after years of female workers being underpaid as a result of wage policies introduced by the previous Labour administration. 

The 2006 policy ended up with workers in traditionally female-dominated roles such as catering or home care being paid up to £3 an hour less than those in male-dominated jobs, such as refuse workers or grave diggers.

The SNP took over the running of city council after the May 2017 elections, where they stood on a promise to settle the claims. 

Agreement was finally reached in January 2019, but only after further strike action saw 8,000 workers down tools for 48 hours in October 2018. 

On equal pay, the Labour's manifesto says, if elected, they will provide one-off central funds to pay for historical equal pay claims. 

Responding, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken told Holyrood: “Other local authorities had pay discrimination issues and had equal pay issues, and those local authorities have already done what they needed to do in order to settle those claims. And also, by and large, have done what they needed to do to fix the historic discrimination.

“What [Labour] are essentially saying is that in Glasgow, which had probably the most blatant discrimination and, and the longest lasting - certainly the strongest resistance to any kind of settlement until there was a change in administration - that somehow the rest of the country should pick up the tab.”

The council leader added: “Now, don't get me wrong, raising the funds for the settlement was challenging, and it's not finished yet… but to try and deflect from the role and the injustice that was done by Labour in Glasgow, by trying to say that it's somehow the Scottish Government's responsibility or the rest of Scotland's responsibility to pick up the bill, is a bit shabby.”

She continued: “Maybe future Labour women will do a better job of standing up for women who have been discriminated against because frankly when it was happening to women in Glasgow there wasn't a peep out of Glasgow Labour councillors and parliamentarians.”

Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie rejected Aitken's criticism. She said: “Scottish Labour's equal pay commitments are about putting women at the heart of our recovery.

“These problems were not in Glasgow alone, they were elsewhere in Scotland, now reaching third waves of historical equal pay claims.

“These women need resolution.

“It’s time to break the cycle and allow local authorities to focus again on delivering the vital services we rely on.”

Earlier, launching the party’s women’s manifesto, Baillie said the “effective utilisation of women’s skills and talents” could help boost £17bn worth of growth in Scotland’s economy. 

The party say their proposed £500 Scottish Skills Benefit – announced earlier in the campaign as part of a job creation scheme - would be of “particular support to women, given that 72% of learners on the previous Individual Learning Account model were women.”

The manifesto also contains pledges on targeted support for people with a protected characteristic who may face disadvantage in the labour market through an Equal Access Careers scheme.

They also call for “targeted training and strengthened childcare support” to encourage women into leadership positions.

They also want to see more support the growing number of women who are starting new enterprises through a new Entrepreneur Unit.

Baillie said: “As we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, Scotland is at a crossroads.

“We can either allow the pandemic to take us backwards, or we can choose to invest in women as our economic powerhouse, unlocking billions in economic growth.

“Scottish Labour is committed to putting women at the heart of our recovery.

“Our Women’s Manifesto would deliver not only a fairer recovery, but a stronger Scotland.”