Following the announcement by Unite the union that Lothian’s drivers and engineers have voted to strike from 3 a.m. on 2 August, Social Care Alba, one of Edinburgh’s leading care and support providers have confirmed the extent to which this will affect those requiring social care and support across the capital.
Nataly Wilson, Founder and CEO of Social Care Alba, said: “This strike is going to have a serious impact on those that require assistance as 95.7% of our current employees use buses as the main form of transport to travel to and from those needing care, so we can only assume that other carers across the city will be depending on buses too.
“We are working as hard as possible to put provisions in place to ensure that our employees have the alternative travel options otherwise those that they care for will be left stranded over the weekend. We are also urging other companies across Edinburgh involved in the care sector to do the same.”
Unite the union have commented that more than 1,700 members are ready to take discontinuous strike action during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival after rejecting an offer from the city’s bus company Lothian by 59.4 per cent.
Lothian Buses had offered a 2.7 per cent pay increase and further measures designed to improve the workplace culture. This included bringing in external experts to assist management and the workforce.
Unless an agreement can be reached the strike action will commence from 3am on Friday 2 August.
Social Care Alba was established to provide support to people living in their own home. The care and support is based upon core values underpinned by the Health & Social Care Standards. Their vision is one of person centred support, which incorporates values of dignity and respect, privacy and inclusion, choice and realising potential – as well as safety, equality and diversity.
They are continuously looking to the future, planning ahead and anticipating future demands, thus allowing them to recruit, train and plan services in advance with the support and inclusion of staff.
For more information visit: http://social-care.org
NEWS UPDATE: STRIKE SUSPENDED
The bus strike planned to start on Friday has been suspended.
Drivers and engineers from Lothian Buses had been due to walk out after rejecting a deal in a long-running dispute with management.
But now a new proposal to address concerns over bullying will now be put to workers in a new ballot on 9 August.
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Maybe they should pay for taxis for their staff then? Or is it asking too much for them to give up some of their profits to ensure that vulnerable older people receive the care for which they have, in many cases, actually paid for?