Social care workers in charity sector to vote on strike action

A charitable social care provider has been threatened with strike action after Unison workers rejected a pay deal – which could be the first industrial action in the sector in a decade.

The union said the vote shows the “deep dissatisfaction” over pay among its members at Enable Scotland, which is one of the country’s largest such providers.

Postal strike ballots will be issued to 575 staff at Enable Scotland from next Friday, with the ballot closing three weeks later.

Unison has written to Enable Scotland warning that staff could walk out in the autumn if the workers back the move, though it acknowledged in a statement that a “good relationship” exists between workers and their employer.

Enable Scotland has put a two-year offer to staff, proposing a minimum hourly rate of £10.90, or a 1% rise for all other staff, for last year.

For 2024/25, it proposes a minimum of £12 an hour or a 3% increase for all other staff.

However Unison said this falls “significantly short” of the staff’s pay claim of a minimum of £15 per hour, and fails to address low pay and the workforce crisis, claiming staff turnover rates in the sector are at 24%.

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.”

Fellow worker Kim O’Donnell said: “No-one wants to strike, we worry about the disruption for the people we care for and their families.

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

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.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This is a matter for Enable Scotland and Unison to resolve.”

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.”