Will the rooster crow for Nicola's thrice-times denial ?

a classic lesson in how the establishment
 [in this case men] will not give up their unfair
advantages [in this case, being paid more]
unless they are dragged, kicking and screaming,
into court

For some years now [since 1975], the law has required employers across the UK to provide women with equal pay for work of equal value. The Equality Act 2010 continues to place a legal obligation on employers to deliver equal pay for women. That Act also opens the door to pay systems being challenged if they deliver unequal pay for such as disabled people and other communities protected by the Act.

In Scotland, progress by the public sector in making equal pay for women happen, instead of always ‘working towards’ equal pay [not to mention equality generally], has been a classic lesson in how the establishment [in this case men] will not give up their unfair advantages [in this case, being paid more] unless they are dragged, kicking and screaming, into court. Even then, some public bodies will still throw money at lawyers to try and stave of the inevitable. The City of Edinburgh Council were still, as of November 2011, prepared to argue [and pay hefty legal fees in so doing] in court that its care workers, clerical and classroom assistants should not be allowed to claim equal pay with male refuse workers, gardeners and road workers. They lost.

Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing, is doing her bit. But not for the sisterhood. No, no and no. Thrice nay. Nicola, who was 5 when the original equal pay legislation came in, is doing her bit on equal pay - for the brotherhood and the establishment.

Nicola, who was 5 when the original equal pay legislation
 came in, is doing her bit on equal pay - for the
brotherhood and the establishment

Michael McMahon MSP has been posing a series of questions to Nicola for some time now on why women in our NHS in Scotland are not being given equal pay for equal work.

But before looking at some of his recent questions, let’s flash back to October 2009. At a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee, Nicola had a lengthy session exploring with Committee members just where the NHS was with equal pay. Amongst many other statements made by Nicola at that time, the Official Record shows that she said towards the end of the session :

 'It was indicated [at a previous Committee round-table discussion on equal pay reviews] that advice had been given to NHS boards not to perform equal pay reviews to ensure that agenda for change remains equal-pay-proofed. I want to clarify that that is not the case. There remains an issue about the extent to which such reviews can be carried out while agenda for change reviews are under way, but there is a clear expectation that all boards will get on and complete those reviews as quickly as they can, and that they will go beyond the letter of the law to ensure that they are exemplary employers that live up to all the duties required of them.' [6^th October 2009]

Seems clear enough ? NHS Boards to stop faffing about, get off their fat, predominantly male, and well fed corporate butts, and do equal pay reviews? There’s even some encouragement in there to go beyond compliance.

NHS Boards to stop faffing about, get off their fat,
predominantly male, and well fed corporate butts,
and do equal pay reviews

So why, when Michael McMahon tabled his three most recent questions on the subject, did Nicola respond, three times, as she did ?

Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-02826 by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 September 2011, whether a deadline will now be set by which detailed equal pay reviews will be carried out by each NHS board.
 (S4W-03421)Ms Nicola Sturgeon :
 Negotiations are currently taking place around remuneration for on-call commitments under the Agenda for Change pay system. The majority of Boards are awaiting the outcome of these before progressing equal pay reviews. These negotiations need to be allowed to take their course and it would therefore not be appropriate to set a deadline for carrying out equal pay reviews at this stage.

and then 

Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-02826 by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 September 2011, for what reason this was not an issue in NHS 24, in which details of any gender, age and disability pay gap have been available via equal pay reviews in each of the last three years. (S4W-03422)Ms Nicola Sturgeon : It is for NHS Boards as employers to decide when they can publish an equal pay review based on the information available to them. With the exception of NHS 24, NHS Boards are awaiting the final element of the Agenda for Change pay system involving remuneration of on-call commitments being put in place, and will then progress the equal pay review process.

and then 

Michael McMahon (Uddingston and Bellshill) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-02826 by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 September 2011, (a) when and (b) how women in the NHS will benefit from their employers being required to “go beyond the letter of the law to ensure that they are exemplary employers” on equal pay. (S4W-03425)Ms Nicola Sturgeon : The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published a Code of Practice on Equal Pay. The Code recognises that regular review and monitoring of pay practices is not a formal legal requirement. However, it suggests that equal pay reviews may be the most effective means of ensuring that a pay system delivers equal pay. NHS employers will, therefore, wish to maintain an awareness of the Code in taking forward equal pay reviews as soon as this is deemed feasible.

why not email the Cabinet Secretary,
Nicola Sturgeon, and invite her to
stop disowning and denying her
sisterhood in the NHS workforce

Makes you really wonder just who is running our NHS [in case you are wondering, the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland is a guy].  

If you have a mum, a sister, a daughter, a partner, or a best friend working in our NHS and you want to give them a real, meaningful and lasting gift in the coming weeks, why not email the Cabinet Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, and invite her to stop disowning and denying her sisterhood in the NHS workforce, and instead bring an end now to the state-sponsored theft from the wages of women.