Tribunal battle begins for three home carers fighting for equal pay against Scotland's biggest council

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THREE WOMEN fighting for equal pay have started their employment tribunal against Scotland’s largest local authority.

Lorraine Donnachie, Audrey Masson and Helen Mitchell believe they are owed thousands by Glasgow City Council.

The women, who are all home carers for the authority, refused previous equal pay offers claiming the council, unions and lawyers were not being transparent over how the settlements were calculated.

On Tuesday they had their first hearing of an employment tribunal in Glasgow which they now hope will settle the dispute.

Lorraine, 61, said: “I hope this is the beginning of the end of this. We’ve been fighting for it for years and it has dragged on.

“The council have tried to delay and ignore us but we’re determined to get what we’re entitled to.”

Since 2018 Glasgow City Council has settled almost 19,000 claims totalling £770m.

Thousands of women accepted their offers after unions and claims firm Action4Equality recommended they do so. It later emerged almost 7 per cent of every claim was taken in legal fees despite union members being entitled to free representation.

The three women are representing themselves after their trade unions withdrew their support when they rejected their pay offers.

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Mum of two Lorraine from Balornock in North Glasgow, said: “While it was daunting to represent yourself I think we all did well.

“The council lawyer who attended claimed he didn’t have certain information which he had to go back and look for, which will delay things further but we expected these sorts of tactics as the council has been trying to delay us for years in the hope we’d go away.

“It has gone on for too long now and we deserve answers.”

The hearing in Glasgow was a closed session meaning only the women and the council lawyers were allowed to attend.

The trio have agreed to discuss with mediators how the dispute can be settled and another hearing is due to take place on December 16.

Before the tribunal case the women contacted their local MPs, MSPs and councillors to highlight their plight but said they’d had no response from any of them.

Lorraine said: “It’s really disappointing but we’re not giving up.

“The thing I have learned is that people will ignore you but you have to keep trying.”

A Glasgow city council spokesman said: “The council reached agreement with the unions and the legal teams representing thousands of workers out of court.

"However, there have always been other claims – either individual cases, or smaller groups represented by law firms – and it is only right that claimants are able to take whatever course they feel is most appropriate.”

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