Glasgow council deal protects staff pay and averts mass rehiring plan
Glasgow City Council has reached a revised pay and grading agreement with Unison, removing the immediate threat of a large fire-and-rehire exercise. The deal matters because the proposed system aims to address historic equal pay issues, but the original offer would have cut wages for some staff.
The council had warned all 23,000 non-teaching employees they could be dismissed and rehired on less favourable terms after talks broke down. The revised proposal protects affected workers’ pay for three years, while discussions continue on issues including equality impacts. Unison will ballot its members over four weeks this month; GMB and Unite are also taking the deal to their members. The council leader said no further money would be added to the package.
- Glasgow council and Unison reached a revised pay deal.
- Three years of pay protection replaces the proposed wage cuts.
- Union members will vote on the agreement this month.
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Glasgow City Council has faced long-standing equal pay issues, a common problem in local government where historical pay structures have created unfair disparities, particularly affecting women. Addressing these legal concerns required the council to redesign its pay and grading system for thousands of employees.
The council's approach to implementing this change proved contentious. It initially proposed dismissing and rehiring all 23,000 non-teaching staff under new, potentially less favourable terms. This practice, known as fire-and-rehire, prompted unions to argue that it would cut wages for many workers despite the equal pay rationale.
The situation matters because it affects thousands of people's livelihoods and illustrates a broader challenge in the public sector. How councils can resolve historical pay inequalities whilst protecting existing workers' interests remains a significant issue in local government.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The revised deal represents a pragmatic compromise that protects workers from the threatened fire-and-rehire exercise and secures their pay whilst the council continues addressing equal pay issues. By safeguarding incomes for three years whilst discussions progress on grading and equality impacts, the agreement balances fiscal constraints against worker security, allowing for further evolution of the system without immediate hardship to affected staff.
The case against
The deal falls short as a genuine solution because it adds no new money and merely defers the fundamental equal pay issues for three years, leaving workers uncertain about their future. Critics would argue that a public employer should invest more substantially in fair pay systems, especially when addressing historic injustices, rather than essentially maintaining its original position while avoiding immediate disruption.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Glasgow city council reaches pay deal with union to avert fire-and-rehire plan”.