Social care workers at Enable Scotland balloted for strike action over pay, say union

Workers at one of Scotland’s biggest social care providers are to be balloted over strike action in a dispute over pay.

Hundreds of members of staff at Enable Scotland are to be asked if they’re prepared to strike over pay, UNISON confirmed on Friday.

The union claims the ballot could lead to mass walkouts of social care staff in the autumn.

Enable Scotland’s two-year offer to staff of a minimum hourly rate of £10.90 an hour or a 1% rise for all other staff for last year falls “significantly” short of staff’s claim for £15 per hour, say the union.

UNISON said that a “good relationship” exists between workers and their employer but that care workers remain poorly paid.

UNISON Scotland social care lead Jennifer McCarey said: “Everyone understands the funding problems in social care and staff have a good relationship with their employer Enable Scotland.

“Social care staff do skilled and demanding jobs. Their work is vital, but despite the Scottish Government promising to reform the sector five years ago, care workers remain poorly paid.

“As much as no one wants to walk out, the threat of strikes is likely to be the only thing the government might listen to. Social care workers deserve to be paid wages that better reflect the emotionally and physically demanding jobs they do.”

For next year, the offer Enable put to staff is a minimum of £12 an hour or a 3% increase for all other staff.

Social care worker Robyn Martin said: “The Scottish Government is doing nothing to improve care in the charitable sector.

“Ministers not only took money back off the table intended to improve the pay and conditions of care staff, but also failed to allocate any funds for future pay rises so employers like Enable Scotland who want to raise wages can’t.”

Social care worker Kim O’Donnell said: “No-one wants to take strike action, we worry about the disruption strikes will cause for the people we care for and their families.

“Care workers are simply asking for a pay rise that starts to lift staff above the Scottish Living Wage and better reflects the value of care to the NHS and council services.”

A spokesperson for Enable said: “Enable are disappointed by this development. We have worked closely in partnership with UNISON for a number of years to progress Fair Work in social care.

“The capacity to pay the social care workforce at a level which reflects their professionalism and contribution is entirely dependent on external funding.

“We would welcome a national pay settlement for the third sector social care workforce which is on a par with pay deals for care workers in the public sector.”