Far from being a threat to the success of local government equal pay negotiations, Stefan Cross and other lawyers are the best hope that female employees have (Personnel Today, 5 December).
Does anyone seriously believe that the old gender-biased practices would be seriously tackled if local authorities (and other parts of the public sector) weren’t being hit with individual claims?
The past 30 years suggests not, and that is the amount of time the employers and unions have had to sort this out. If anything, this whole episode suggests that public sector unions are no friend to the millions of low-paid women they represent.
It is actually quite sickening to hear the unions’ (male) leaders attacking those who ARE actually helping women. Yes, the lawyers will be taking a slice of the money they gain for their clients – but it’s money the women wouldn’t have had anyway if it had been up to the unions.
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