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> garbage strikes So, the garbage workers -- men -- used strikes to extort illegal, privileged pay raises for themselves?
by everybodyknows 3y ago
> garbage strikes
So, the garbage workers -- men -- used strikes to extort illegal, privileged pay raises for themselves?
- OJFord 3y agoYou could think of it like they're all doing exactly the same job, and then a union voted to strike, as a result of which only the unionised workers got a bonus, and were kept at the same grade. (Although I'm not really sure what my point is - that the council's lawyers should've (if they didn't) made that argument? - because unlike gender I don't think union membership is a protected characteristic per Equality Act 2010, obviously there are some different rules like you can't fire someone for being a member of a union, but paying someone less because they're not a member of a union seems probably fine? But anyway, as a public body the council has extra requirements for equality, not less, and the intention probably doesn't matter at all.)
- shubb 3y agoCertainly hard to argue the higher wage was set by the market when it was set by strikes rather than the need to fill jobs.
- mannykannot 3y agoYielding to the strikers' demands may or may not have been wise, but I have not seen anything here saying this was, in itself, illegal: it became so when the council failed to extend those increases to other workers deemed (by its own rules, apparently) to be in equivalent positions.