Tag: social care workers

Social care workers demand return of ‘missing millions’

Scotland’s largest health and social care unions protested outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday to demand the return of the ‘missing millions’ cut from the Scottish Government’s Budget for social care workers.

Information from the Scottish Trades Union Congress’ ‘Missing Millions’ campaign has shown that £38 million of ringfenced funding for maternity, paternity and sick pay for social care workers in Scotland was secretly cut from the latest Scottish Government budget.

Workers from Scotland’s three biggest social care unions, UNISON, GMB and UNITE will protest outside the Scottish Parliament to demand the return of the cash with workers accusing the Scottish Government of “betraying” social care workers.

The ‘Missing Millions’ campaign was launched last week during STUC Congress. A Freedom of Information request has shown that the £38 million cut was pulled directly from the Scottish Government’s Fair Work in Social Care terms and conditions workstream in September 2023.


Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Cutting the budget to improve the terms, pay and conditions of Scotland’s social care workers is, quite frankly, unforgiveable.

“This was a sleekit move from the Scottish Government with no transparency, no accountability and worse, no promise of restoring the funding.

“These were the front-line workers that cared for those most in need during the pandemic. Some even paid with their lives protecting the vulnerable and our communities from the virus.


“For the Scottish Government to cut the dedicated funding that would, in part, seek to implement Fair Work within the sector, with improved sick pay and conditions, is nothing short of betraying the workforce.

“We call on all those who stand alongside our social care workers to join us outside Parliament.

“We’re sending a clear message to all politicians, especially the Scottish Government, that social care workers are demanding a return of the missing millions and a quick U-turn to this ill-judged budget cut.”

GMB leader backs strikes to support care workers’ ‘Fight for £15’ campaign

If the Government fails to value care workers we will start organising for industrial action across the care sector, says GMB Union

Three years on from the historic Glasgow Equal Pay strike, GMB General Secretary Gary Smith backed care workers to organise for strikes in their fight for a £15 an hour social care minimum wage.

Addressing rallying social care staff outside the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, the GMB leader pledged the union would, “summon the spirit of the Glasgow Women’s Strike” in the fight for fifteen.

Workers from across the social care sector also detailed their experiences and struggles of care delivery before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, making the case for substantial pay increases as the Scottish Government consultation over a National Care Service continues.

Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said: “Pay is the priority in tackling the growing understaffing crisis and lifting the unsustainable pressures not just in social care, but in our NHS too – that’s why we are ‘fighting for fifteen’.

“We know the prospect of wages just above £10 an hour won’t cut it, and if you want to retain and recruit the people we need then we must value this essential work properly.

“After the awful events of this pandemic and with a bleak winter ahead, the consequences of continuing to neglect these key workers should be crystal clear to everyone.

“But if government fails to recognise this then we will summon the spirit of the Glasgow Women’s Strike and start organising for industrial action across the care sector.”

Fairer pay for social care workers

A commitment to ensure adult social care workers receive at least the Real Living Wage of £9.50 an hour has been agreed with COSLA.

Funding of £64.5 million will be committed to ensure adult social care workers will be paid at least the Real Living Wage from May 2021, backdated to April 2021. This is an important early response to the recent Independent Review of Adult Social Care and comes as a joint statement between with COSLA has been issued setting out how they will work together to deliver on the review’s recommendations.

Subject to the outcome of the Scottish Parliament elections,  minimum standards for employment terms and conditions will be developed for the sector in partnership with COSLA. This includes a requirement for ethical commissioning which ensures procurement decisions take into account factors beyond price, including fair work, terms and conditions and trade union recognition.

There will also be new measures introduced to ensure staff, the majority of whom are women, are able to raise concerns, respond to local conditions and support an effective collective bargaining role in a sector where staff currently lack a clear representative voice.  

The Scottish Government and COSLA have also jointly committed to working together to deliver recommendations of the independent review, including:  

  • ending charging for non-residential services as soon as possible
  • introducing agreed ethical commissioning principles 
  • overhauling eligibility criteria to ensure social care support is based on human rights and needs
  • implementing measures to put voices of those with lived experience at the heart of policy development and service delivery
  • ensuring unpaid carers are fully supported to continue in their caring roles

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Social care workers do a critical and invaluable job and they should be paid fairly for it. The Scottish Government want Scotland’s social care services to be high quality and consistent for those who use them and also for those who deliver them.

“Derek Feeley’s Independent Review of Adult Social Care set out clearly the need for better recognition and treatment of the, largely female, workforce, describing this as a key issue of equality and gender fairness, as well as an investment in critical service provision. The Scottish Government agree with those conclusions.

“This funding will help support a move to an ethical approach to commissioning which recognises the economic and social value of the work that staff in social care do, and that decisions must be about more than just price.”

COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson Councillor Stuart Currie said: “This statement of intent will allow work to begin now which will make improvements to adult social care in Scotland, and I welcome this progress.

“It is evident that there is significant discussion needed around the areas in the review that relate to governance and accountability within the report.

“However, COSLA Leaders are clear that there is much in the report to be welcomed  particularly the principles in relation to empowering people, valuing the workforce and embedding a human rights-based approach in social care.”