Care workers to strike for first time in decade in dispute over pay
The strike will roll out across five days in different regions, beginning on May 29 in East Renfrewshire and continuing in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Ayrshire, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
It will culminate with a march and rally at the Scottish Parliament on June 12.
Unison said it is a response to 'years of broken promises and delays by the Scottish Government to reform and fund social care properly', and that 'carers have been left with no other option after being consistently let down by ministers'.
It has agreed 'life and limb' cover with the employer during the strike.
Anna Baird, a Unison member and a personal assistant with Enable Scotland for eight years, said: 'I love my job and the people I support, that's why this decision was so hard. But we're at breaking point.
'We've been made promises for years, but nothing changes.
'Our pay doesn't reflect the responsibility we carry and many of us are struggling to make ends meet. We're just asking to be valued for the vital work we do.'
Unison Scotland regional organiser Jennifer McCarey said: 'Strike action is always a last resort.
'But unions representing care workers have been working with the Scottish Government for several years on a plan for social care.
'But not a single promise made by ministers has been kept. In fact, care workers' pay has gotten worse.
'The care sector is in crisis, and that responsibility lies squarely with the Scottish Government. Until care workers are properly valued and paid fairly, the sector will never have the care workers it needs.
'Ministers must fund charitable care properly and act to resolve this issue.'
Social care minister Maree Todd said: 'We value the vital role social care workers play in delivering high-quality care.
'Pay negotiations are a matter for trade unions and employers and I urge both parties to continue to work together to reach an agreement which is fair for the workforce and affordable for Enable.
'Our 2025-26 Scottish Budget provides an additional £125 million to enable adult social care workers, delivering direct care in commissioned services, to be paid at least the real living wage of £12.60 an hour. This takes our total investment in improving social care pay to £950 million.'
Enable Scotland have been contacted for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
14 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hamilton by-election prompts rethink of assumptions about 2026 Holyrood elections
John Swinney said it was a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform UK; some commentators claimed Reform might just sneak it; and Labour was tipped to finish third. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... But when the votes were counted in last week's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, it was Labour who emerged as the winners with a majority of 602, overturning the SNP's majority of more than 4,500 in 2021 - a swing of 7.42 per cent from the SNP to Labour. Amid poor poll ratings,and after the party's humiliation in last month's Runcorn and Helsby by-election, where it lost the seat to Reform, this was a major boost for Labour. Labour's Davy Russell celebrates with Anas Sarwar, Jackie Ballie and Monica Lennon after winning the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. Picture: Jeff| Getty Images Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And with the Scottish Parliament elections less than a year away, it prompts a rethink of the assumption that the SNP is on course for a fifth term in power at Holyrood. Labour's landslide general election victory last July encouraged hopes that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar could oust John Swinney as First Minister and end nearly two decades of SNP rule next May. But a series of unpopular decisions by the new Labour government at Westminster, including means-testing winter fuel payments, led to plummeting poll figures and seemed to put paid to the party's chances in Scotland. Reacting to the Hamitlon result, Mr Sarwar claimed it showed a rejection of the SNP because of its record in Government, as well as a rejection of Nigel Farage and Reform. But he also acknowledged people wanted the UK Labour government to 'go further and faster in making a difference to people's lives'. The SNP's continuing poll lead after18 years in government cannot be easily dismissed and Reform's 26 per cent of the vote shows it is a serious threat, but Labour nevertheless has good reason to be heartened by the Hamilton victory. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Commentators have warned against reading too much into the win and rightly point out the parties' performances in Hamilton were roughly in line with Scotland-wide polling which shows SNP support 15 points down on the 2021 Holyrood election and Labour support two points down. But the fact remains that Labour has won a fiercely-fought by-election which they were widely expected to lose badly and have taken a seat from the SNP who were seen as more or less certain victors next year. And that gives Labour a new momentum in their drive to win power at Holyrood.
Daily Record
30 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Chancellor's U-turn restoring winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners is the correct decision
Setting the new cut-off point at £35,000 seems reasonable and allows the UK Government to claw black cash given to the wealthiest. But the original policy last year to slash the WFP to all but the poorest pensioners should never have happened. Labour should always be the party that looks out for people on low and modest incomes. They should never be taking money from people who need it and linking the WFP to pension credit was appalling. Voters had waited a long time for a Labour government to pursue bold policies. They wanted Keir Starmer to dismantle the Tory legacy on welfare, not undo the policies of Gordon Brown. But this disastrous mis-step overshadowed the early days of the Government and triggered a loss of trust in Starmer. The Starmer administration has steadily improved from its rocky early period and progress is being made on a range of fronts. The package on employment rights is excellent and trade deals with the US and EU should boost growth. Starmer has also proven himself to be a serious politician who thinks carefully before acting. But his Government has to learn lessons from the WFP debacle. It opened the door to Nigel Farage and allowed him to falsely portray himself as a man of the people. This Labour government can be a resounding success but it must close the door on future blunders. Sextortion fight Social media has much to commend it, connecting like-minded people with shared interests across the globe. But there is often a significant downside to the platforms we all use. They can be a tool for bullies and the unscrupulous who seek to exploit vulnerable or impressionable people for their own gain. Sextortion, a form of online blackmail using real or fake images taken from social media, has been used by criminals to terrify young people into parting with cash or be publicly shamed. A campaign to raise awareness of sextortion and how to deal with it has been launched by the youth service Fearless. It urges young people not to panic, not to pay and to seek help. It is sad that in this day and age such a campaign is necessary. And much like our own Our Kids... Our Future campaign, it acknowledges the pressures young people are under in today's Scotland. But while youngsters are becoming more aware of sextortion, perhaps the social media companies could do more to keep them safe online.
Daily Record
30 minutes ago
- Daily Record
John Swinney accused of planning council tax freeze 'bribe' ahead of Holyrood election
EXCLUSIVE: A senior council figure said the First Minister did not rule out a freeze during a meeting with local authority leaders. John Swinney has been accused of planning to 'bribe' voters by freezing the council tax weeks before the next Holyrood election. The First Minister refused to rule out the move in a summit with town hall chiefs last month. The SNP has pushed through a freeze in most of the years they have been in Government since 2007, with critics saying the policy starves councils of cash. A freeze was ditched this year and councils backed average bill rises of 9.5%. It is understood Swinney met council leaders late last month and was quizzed about his final Budget ahead of the Holyrood election. A senior council insider who was at the meeting said the First Minister did not close the door on another freeze: 'It is deeply disappointing that the First Minister has refused to rule out a freeze or cap on council tax next year. It looks like he may be planning yet another pre-election bribe for voters. "All councils in Scotland are facing having to make huge cuts to services and jobs next year yet the First Minister seems to want to deprive us of the only real means we have of limiting these cuts. It is an affront to democracy and yet another clear breach of the Verity House Agreement.' It is understood council umbrella body COSLA will decide this month whether they will continue to be part of a working group with the SNP Government on council tax reform. The insider said pulling out is an option because of Swinney's refusal to rule out a freeze. If a freeze was voted through by Parliament, it would come into force on April 1st - coinciding with the Holyrood election campaign. Labour MSP Mark Griffin said 'The SNP's shambolic approach to local government funding has left families paying more and getting less in return. Years of SNP austerity has forced Scottish Councils to make impossible choices between raising taxes on struggling families or axing local services communities rely on. 'The SNP must treat local government with the respect it deserves and work with Cosla to deliver a budget settlement that protects local services from cuts and doesn't force brutal Council tax hikes on Scottish families.' A senior SNP figure said Swinney wanted to go into the next election showing voters he had made a difference on the cost of living crisis. Central to this agenda is restoring winter fuel payments, abolishing peak rail fares and scrapping the two child benefit tax. Roz Foyer, general secretary of the STUC, said: 'We think the council tax is at root a regressive tax and needs to be replaced. Freezing it is not the answer. A freeze is both damaging to local authorities and to people when there are sudden increases when the freeze is lifted.' Green MSP Ross Greer said: 'Freezing the Council tax rather than actually fixing it would mean more budget cuts for schools, social care and other local services. John Swinney knows that this tax needs to be scrapped and replaced, but doing so would upset some very rich people who live in very big houses, so he won't do it. 'Most people already pay the wrong rate of Council Tax, which is totally absurd. It's those in smaller homes paying more than they should, all while the super-rich get off with an absolute steal. Another freeze doesn't solve that problem, it just harms the local services we all rely on." Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: 'Has John Swinney learnt nothing from Humza Yousaf's disastrous handling of the council tax when he was leader? Instead of meddling with the decisions that should be left to councils, he should focus on improving the NHS and growing the economy, which are his responsibilities.' Tory MSP Craig Hoy said: 'If John Swinney does impose a council tax freeze next year, he must give local authorities the funding to be able to deliver it without decimating essential services. If he failed to do so, this would be no more than a cynical pre-election ploy that would put councils in an impossible position.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Future local government finance settlements will be set out in the usual way at future Scottish Budgets.'
