Urgent talks are needed to ensure equal pay is implemented across all Scotland's councils, according to a new report. The publication, by a cross-party committee of MSPs, said current delays in implementing equal pay across all authorities were ‘unacceptable'. Local government and communities committee convenor, Duncan McNeil, said: ‘Frankly, the delays in implementing "single status" are unacceptable, and many of the problems we're dealing with today could have been avoided through earlier resolution. The current litigious situation is most regrettable.' The committee wants to see the Government organise immediate talks between local authorities, unions and lawyers over levels of compensation settled now, annual equal pay audits carried out in local authorities, and clarification from the Scottish Government over the timescale and operation of ann equal pay scheme. Single status was an agreement between councils and unions made in 1999 to harmonise workers' terms and conditions. Each local authority had to do this individually and so far 26 of the 32 in Scotland have. Cllr Michael Cook, COSLA's strategic human resource management spokesman, said: ‘There is agreement that implementation of the agreement, with its attendant equal pay obligations, is the most complex challenge faced by councils since reorganisation in 1996. Notwithstanding, to date 26 of 32 councils have now implemented the agreement with the remaining six on target to complete in 2009.' Public sector union Unison's Scotland regional organiser, Paul Hunter, said: ‘The Scottish Government has sat on the sidelines but the time has come for it to step up to the plate.'
