GMB demands action is taken

GMB Scotland has demanded that North Lanarkshire Council bosses urgently recalculate and reward the pensions of hundreds of women affected by the equal pay scandal.
The employees union, the GMB have set out an ultimatum to North Lanarkshire Council.The employees union, the GMB have set out an ultimatum to North Lanarkshire Council.
The employees union, the GMB have set out an ultimatum to North Lanarkshire Council.

It has emerged that despite the resolution of second wave equal pay claims across NLC in 2016, claimants have not had the value of their pensions readjusted to reflect the settlement payments awarded after years of pay discrimination.

Percentages were subtracted from the equal pay settlements of the union’s claimants to reflect wage deductions for pensions, but NLC has yet to return the value to its employees.

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The GMB has now instructed its legal affiliate to pursue compensation for those members who are retired and those who continue to be underpaid as a result of the council’s failure to pay the necessary monies.

GMB Scotland Organiser Hazel Nolan said: “The failure of NLC to properly recompense our members’ pension entitlements following their equal pay settlements is legally and morally indefensible.

“That our members are still waiting for the value of their pensions to be readjusted nearly two years after settlements were reached with the council is shameful and we have been left with no choice but to pursue this through the appropriate legal channels.

“At best this is maladministration by the council but at worst they are unlawfully retaining money that belongs to our members. This requires immediate action from the council otherwise they will find themselves back in the courts.”

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North Lanarkshire Council responded, saying: “The council is fully committed to meeting its equal pay obligations. The volume of claims in this case, and the complexity of the information requiring to be exchanged with Strathclyde Pension Fund, means the process has taken longer than we had hoped. However, we are working hard to resolve any outstanding issues and expect to be able to complete the process shortly.”