Striking Differences

Council workers in London are being called out on 2 days of strike action today - in pursuit of a better and fairer pay rise - see post dated 1 July 2008.

But the irony is that this industrial action will do nothing to address the big inequalities in pay that already exist - between traditional male and female jobs.

The unions that are manning the barricades - are the same union that have turned a blind eye to equal pay for the past 10 years - completely ignoring the fact that unskilled male jobs (refuse workers, gravediggers and gardeners) have been getting paid much more than carers, catering workers and classroom assistants.

Where have the unions been all these years - why have there been no strikes or national days of action to highlight the issue of equal pay for women workers?

Strike action will do nothing to improve the lot of low paid women workers relative to the men - even after the strikes are over striking differences in they way they are treated will continue.

If a female carer or a classroom assistant goes on strike for a day, they lose a day's pay - never to be recovered, a short-term sacrifice for a longer-term gain, allegedly.

But if a refuse worker or a gardener goes on strike for a day, they get paid to back and pick up the day's work that was lost - so they don't lose out in the same way as their female colleagues.

When the dust has settled low paid women workers will remain stuck where they are now - at the bottom of the pile. Truth is the trade unions can't see the wood for the trees - despite the fact that two thirds of the council workforce are women workers.