Scots care workers set for Glasgow rally as union warns council bosses not to 'scapegoat' staff

Hundreds of striking care workers will gather in Glasgow today to demand council bosses finally settle long-running disputes over equal pay.

Frontline staff employed by local authorities in Falkirk, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire walked out this week in a row over wages.

The care workers will hold a rally in George Square from 11am.

The GMB said the industrial action has the overwhelming support of members after a grading review failed to reflect their increased responsibilities.

Louise Gilmour, the union's Scotland secretary, warned that cash-strapped councils must not attempt to scapegoat the care workers for demanding multi-million pound equal pay claims.

And she warned Humza Yousaf that retrospective equal pay claims could risk sinking local authorities without intervention from the Scottish Government.

Glasgow City Council has already remortgaged iconic venues like Kelvingrove Museum to settle an initial £770m equal pay deal female staff.

“We know local authorities are struggling to make ends meet and we know why," Gilmour said ahead of the rally.

"But to suggest women workers are somehow making things worse by asking for money they are owed and, in many cases, have been owed for years is as dishonest as it is disgraceful.

"To blame equal pay claims instead of the systemic pay discrimination that has prevailed in our councils is scapegoating workers only asking for what they are owed.

"It is an attempt to guilt women into believing they are being greedy and risking men’s jobs by simply asking for what they are due and have been due for years and years.

“The cost of settling equal pay issues is looming over Scotland’s local councils but is not about women, it is about fairness and has been too long coming.”

Gilmour has written to Yousaf urging him to support the creation of a new specialist body to decide on pay discrimination claims across the country and enforce awards because local authorities are refusing to face reality.

“Scotland’s councils are approaching equal pay claims like the Titanic approaching the iceberg," she added.

"Councillors have their heads in the sand and executives have their fingers in their ears but these equal pay claims will come, will be won and will need to be settled.

"It is understandable that our councils are refusing to acknowledge the reality because the reality is unthinkable and the scale of these claims unimaginable for local authorities already being forced to cut services.

"Women who have been underpaid for far too long will still win these claims, however, and, unless that process is properly managed now, the impact on our councils and the communities they serve could be disastrous."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Councils are responsible for meeting their legal obligations to their employees, including on equal pay.

"In the face of a profoundly challenging financial situation, the Scottish Government is making available record funding of more than £14 billion to councils in 2024-25 – a real-terms increase of 2.5% compared with the previous year.”

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