Latest news with #UNISONScotland
Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Lanarkshire care workers to take protest to Holyrood as row over pay intensifies
The action is part of the first national care strike in Scotland in over a decade, which has already seen walkouts in East Renfrewshire, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Lanarkshire care workers employed by Enable Scotland are to take their protest to the Scottish Government as a row over pay intensifies. Protestors will set off from Tron Kirk at 10.30am on Thursday morning and march down High Street to Holyrood, where a rally will begin outside at 11am. The action is part of the first national care strike in Scotland in over a decade, which has already seen walkouts in East Renfrewshire, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. UNISON Scotland's lead for social care Jennifer McCarey said: 'Care workers have had enough of delays and broken promises and feel they've no choice but to take their protest to the Scottish government.' Enable Scotland employee Anna Baird added: 'If ministers value us as much as they say they do, then it's time they funded social care properly and paid us fairly. 'We love our jobs and don't want to be on strike. But we are some of the lowest-paid workers in the country and fed up of waiting.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Daily Record
09-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Care workers employed by Enable Scotland to take strike action in Lanarkshire this week in continuing dispute over pay
This is part of a co-ordinated wave of walkouts rolling out over five days across Scotland. Care workers employed by Enable Scotland are to take strike action in Lanarkshire this week in a continuing dispute over pay. This is part of a co-ordinated wave of walkouts rolling out over five days across Scotland. The industrial action began in East Renfrewshire and continued last week in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, with further strikes scheduled for Edinburgh and Glasgow over the coming days. UNISON Scotland regional organiser Jennifer McCarey said: 'This has been a difficult decision for care workers. But they feel this is the only way they can get the Scottish government to listen to them. 'Care workers in Lanarkshire and across Scotland are standing up for themselves and for everyone who needs their support.' Enable worker Alfons Crichton, a personal assistant working in North Lanarkshire, added: 'We love our jobs and we know how much people rely on us. But we are some of the lowest paid workers in Scotland. 'None of us ever thought we'd be on strike, but we've had nothing but broken promises. This is about how much the Scottish government really values what we do.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Glasgow Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow City Council staff sent strike ballot amid pay row
The workers are part of tens of thousands of council staff in Scotland who have been sent the papers. The move comes as part of a dispute over pay, according to UNISON Scotland, who say the ballot is the largest of its kind for many years. READ MORE: Stagecoach bus strikes suspended after legal threat The union is balloting all staff it represents in local government in Scotland, with more than 80,000 workers across all 32 councils given the opportunity to take part from Thursday, May 1 until June 12. This follows a recent consultation in which 92% backed strike action. The local government employer body, Cosla, has proposed a 3% pay increase for all council workers in Scotland for 2025-2026. READ MORE: Can you spot yourself? Hundreds flock to Glasgow parks to bask in the sunshine However, David O'Connor, UNISON Scotland co-lead for local government, said: "Dedicated council staff have seen the value of their pay fall for more than a decade, as wages failed to keep pace with the cost of living. "These workers deliver high-quality, vital services to communities, despite increasing pressures, dwindling resources and significant staffing shortages. "Cosla's offer only adds to the real financial hardship faced by employees, especially with rent, council tax and energy bills continuing to soar." 'Strike action is always a last resort, but local government workers have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long. "Cosla and the Scottish government need to step up and offer a decent wage increase that reflects the value of these workers.' READ MORE: Thousands to march in Glasgow for Scottish independence rally Susanne Gens, chair of UNISON Scotland's local government committee, said: "Staff have indicated overwhelmingly that they've reached their limit. "They can't afford to shoulder the burden of real-terms pay cuts. "Local government workers are the glue that holds communities together and provide essential services on which everyone relies. "The Scottish Government and Cosla must recognise their worth and respond with a fair pay offer that values these essential workers." Cosla has been approached for comment.
