Minimum wage vote

Published 25 Nov 2009 14:00

I WOULD like to answer criticisms of myself expressed by Labour Party members in your letters page recently - specifically, that I voted against a council minimum wage of £7 per hour.

Yes I voted against it. It would have cost £140,000 at a time when we are desperately trying to save money.

We have only just introduced a new pay and grading structure which substantially increased the salaries of low paid female employees.

Rather obviously another group of workers will now be on the lowest grade - still well above the national minimum wage.

Apart from Glasgow no other local authorities operate this £7 rate.

Low pay issues were helped greatly by the 10 per cent tax rate but Gordon Brown gaveth and then he took it away.

There was not so much as a whimper of protest from the irate Labour members.

This raises the obvious question - do they actually care about low paid workers? Of course they don't.

The cynical use of council staff to make concocted political attacks is disgusting.

Why didn't the West Dunbartonshire Labour Group introduce this idea when they were in power?

Also, why didn't they enforce the 1974 Equal Pay Act?

After 35 years of Labour control it took an SNP and Clydebank Independent councillors decision to achieve pay equality for women in West Dunbartonshire.

As last week's correspondent suggested, "Hang your heads in shame".

Willie McLaughlin, Independent councillor, Clydebank Central

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This letter appeared in Clydebank Post 25 Nov 09

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