Petition · past parliament
Government should introduce an independent complaints process for trade unions.
Closed
249 signatures
What the petition asks
In 1999 Scotland's council employers and the trade unions (GMB, Unison and Unite) agreed to end widespread pay discrimination against low paid predominantly female jobs including carers, catering workers, cleaners, clerical workers and classroom assistants - but this commitment was never delivered.
In 2005 thousands of equal pay claims were lodged in employment tribunals after a campaign led by Action 4 Equality Scotland. Many individual members lost out because of poor advice from their unions. For example, in North Lanarkshire where the GMB restricted members' claims to only 3 years and South Lanarkshire where members were advised not to pursue claims against their local Labour-run council. An independent complaints process would bring unions into line with other areas of public life.
Timeline
| 12 Oct 2015 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 12 Apr 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
249
Status
Closed
Opened
12 Oct 2015
Closed
12 Apr 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.