Union News

As always happens, when Action 4 Equality appears on the scene - we are contacted by local unions reps who have been starved of information and given bad advice for years.

London is just the same as everywhere else - most local unions reps are just trying to do their best for their members - but few of them are experts in equal pay or know the history of the Single Status agreement.

It's the union hierarchy that's responsible for keeping ordinary members in the dark - few local union reps are aware that traditional male groups (refuse workers, road workers and gardeners) have been paid big bonuses for many years.

And it comes as a big surprise for them to find this out from Action 4 Equality - but when you think about it the unions are hardly likely to tell their women members or local reps - because it's the same union people who have been favouring the male groups for years.

There would be a lynching party if the unions shouted this from the rooftops - because it's the female dominated jobs that should have benefited from Single Status - but in many areas it's the female dominated jobs that are losing out.

So, the unions are rightly embarrassed about how they've behaved - and how they've let their women members down.

But we don't mind whether you're a union member, a non-union member or a local union rep - we treat everyone in exactly the same way - and we're happy to take up your equal pay claim on that basis.