Thousands of women will march on Glasgow’s City Chambers in long-running fight for justice
Thousands of women will march on Glasgow’s City Chambers tomorrow in the long-running fight for equal pay as forty-eight hours of strike action gets underway.
The march will be led by Glasgow’s equal pay women, supported by their trade unions and representative bodies, campaigners from across the globe and by the Glasgow public, united in calling for the council to return to meaningful negotiations to deliver fair and full settlements.
The voice of Glasgow’s working women will be heard around the world. After decades of rampant sex discrimination they will tell their employer, 'Stop the delays. We want justice.'
GMB Scotland Organiser Rhea Wolfson
Picket lines will be live across the city from 7AM with local services brought to a standstill by one of the biggest peace time industrial actions seen in Glasgow.
The strike will involve more than 2,000 GMB members who provide round the clock home care for 87,000 service users, as well as cleaning and catering services for schools and amenities across the city.
GMB Scotland Organiser Rhea Wolfson said:
“The voice of Glasgow’s working women will be heard around the world. After decades of rampant sex discrimination they will tell their employer, “Stop the delays. We want justice.
"Our members will march to the doorstep of power to tell Glasgow City Council’s Chief Executive Annemarie O’Donnell and her officials that they will not be bullied or intimidated by reckless and inaccurate statements about this strike or the motivations for it.
"Our members are determined and strong, buoyed in particular by the support shown to them by service users and their families who understand the value of these women and their work.
"The truth is this council cannot deliver fair equal pay settlements without negotiating with the joint claimant organisations, a fact the Chief Executive knows full well. The council’s failure to meaningfully negotiate with us over the last year and its decision to walk away from its obligations to employees and service users alike has led us to this action.
"The council must to stop stalling and face the inevitable. Annemarie O’Donnell needs to take the responsibility her highly paid job demands by stepping out of the ivory tower and re-engaging with reality, which means a return to meaningful negotiation with the joint claimant group.
"Our women make Glasgow and it’s time to start delivering the justice they deserve.”
