Strike vote among social care charity workers paused after new pay offer

A strike ballot among hundreds of staff at a social care charity has been put on hold after a fresh pay offer.

Unison said carers at Enable Scotland will now be consulted on the offer, which would bring the hourly rate to £12.20 as an additional £900,000 is invested in staff pay.

Postal strike ballots were issued to 575 staff at Enable Scotland – the largest social care charity in Scotland – from September 13.

The ballot was due to close at the end of this week but Unison has now paused it.

Unison said if the offer is accepted, it will lift carers’ minimum hourly rate to £12.20, backdated to April this year.

The union described the offer as the “best deal available at this stage”.

Consultation on it will take place with staff for three weeks from October 10.

Unison Scotland social care organiser Wendy Hudson said: “Social care is demanding, skilled work, carried out by some of the poorest paid employees in Scotland.

“While this offer doesn’t achieve everything the union hoped for, it’s the best deal available at this stage.

“Now care workers can choose whether to accept.”

Enable Scotland’s Unison steward Thomas Baylis said: “Strike action is always a last resort, especially for workers who support some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland. That’s why pay in social care must improve.

“The employer must prioritise its workforce and begin moving towards the urgent pay reform the social care sector desperately needs.”

A spokesperson for Enable Scotland said: “Enable has worked closely in partnership with Unison for a number of years to progress fair work in social care across the sector.

“Unison recognise that we have offered the best deal available at this stage, and the ability to pay more to the social care workforce 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.”