Tag: trade unions

Orgreave Truth and Justice: 40 years on, the case for an Inquiry

The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) today release a new report: ‘Orgreave Truth and Justice: 40 years on, the case for an Inquiry’ which contains some new information recently uncovered – including public statements of police and government vs the truth of their private acts.

Orgreave represents one of the most serious abuses of power by police and government in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State.

Instead, successive Conservative Governments and senior police have worked to cover it up. It is important that the truth is established via an independent inquiry and that the police and government are brought to account.

Today, a copy is being hand delivered to the Home Office, and the major political parties on the 40th anniversary – 18 June 2024. Courtesy copies are being sent to the Cabinet Office. A further copy shall be delivered to the new Home Secretary following the election.

To help restore public trust in government and police, through an inquiry, the OTJC wants:

• the public to know the truth;
• to reset standards in public life;
• to reinforce the operational independence of the police;
• to reset democratic diligence in public office;
• a public acknowledgement and apology.

Due to the age and health of many miners impacted we need to quickly secure an inquiry and a public acknowledgement of why and what the State did to the miners and their communities.

Orgreave, 18 June 1984 represents one of the most serious abuses of power by police and government in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State. 

Instead, as this report confirms, successive Conservative Governments and senior police have worked to cover it up. Many files remain unexamined or inaccessible to the public until at least 2066.

Patrick McCarroll, Miner at Orgreave said: “At Orgreave I was terrified. Anyone that says they weren’t is a liar. We were in the field, near the back. There were dogs everywhere. I was chased all the way. The dogs were barking, I ran across the railway line, away from them.

“I ran and ran, there was an Asda, I ran through that, there were horses chasing men through the car park. There were people hiding up trees, people trying to hide everywhere”

Kate Flannery,  Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign Secretary said: ““It is important that the truth is established via an independent inquiry and that the police and government are brought to account for their actions at Orgreave on 18 June 1984.

“This day is particularly significant as it shines a light on what was going on in mining villages and communities throughout the year-long 84/5 miners’ strike. With the National Archive files released it is obvious that Conservative Prime Minister,

“Margaret Thatcher’s involvement alone is enough for an inquiry into Orgreave on 18 June 1984. There are STILL many government files held back – some of which are under lock and key until at least 2066. An inquiry should reveal what is in those files and what has been held back for 40 years.”

Kevin Horne, Miner arrested at Orgreave said: “There has been no accountability of policing at Orgreave. This sent a very clear message that the police could employ violence with impunity.

“This must surely have set a culture for the police cover up in 1989 at Hillsborough. The police lied in their statements and in court about what they did at Orgreave. We want the answers to questions about the lying and violent behaviour of the police. “We want to know how police officers were briefed and why they were not held to account by the Director of Public Prosecutions or their own employer.”

An inquiry of full disclosure can help to right the wrongs of the past and influence the future behaviour of public officials. An early and suitably empowered inquiry into government and police action in relation to events at Orgreave on 18 June 1984 is essential.

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Summer of strikes looming as unions reject COSLA pay offer

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIONS SET FOR SUMMER STRIKE ACTION

COSLA wrote to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions with a formal pay offer for Scotland’s Local Authority workforce on Thursday – but their ‘strong, fair and credible’ offer has been firmly rebuffed by trade unions representing council workers.

Making the formal offer, COSLA said in a statement: “Following a number of very constructive SJC Steering Group negotiating meetings in recent weeks, COSLA has today (23rd May) written to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions with a formal pay offer for the SJC Local Government workforce. “

This offer is for a settlement which runs for an 18-month period of 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2025. There will be a 2.2% uplift from 1st April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October. This therefore includes a change in the settlement date to 1 October.

“This offer fully utilises the negotiating mandate provided by COSLA Leaders and is at the limit of affordability, given the severe financial constraints councils are facing in the context of a flat cash Local Government settlement.

“We believe that this is a strong, fair, and credible offer which reflects the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day to serve our communities.”

The May 2024 pay offer to SJC Unions explained

COSLA’s offer to SJC Trade Unions on 23rd May 2024 is detailed in the bullet points below:

A 2.2% increase from 1 April 2024

Further 2% increase from 1 October 2024

Change settlement date to 1 October

Agree to develop negotiation protocol

This offer covers 1 April 2024 – 30 September 2025.

A STRONG, FAIR and CREDIBLE OFFER? NO, SAY UNIONS …

Unite rejects outright COSLA pay offer

Union now moving “full steam ahead” for Summer strike action

Unite the union has confirmed that its representative committee for local government workers have rejected outright the COSLA pay offer.

The offer comprises 2.2 per cent effective from 1 April to 30 September, and then two per cent for a 12-month period effective from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.

Unite rejected the offer, and the proposal to change the pay anniversary date from April to October on the basis that it is nothing but an attempt to “kick the can down the road”. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “COSLA has taken months to put a formal pay offer to our local government membership, and it’s a derisory one at that.”

“Unite’s representatives rightly rejected this offer outright. The fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government will continue. We are clear that our members shouldn’t settle for anything that doesn’t come close to meeting their demands.”

Unite has confirmed that it is actively preparing to ballot key groups of its local government membership across Scotland.

Unite will announce the details of the industrial action ballot next week as it issued a warning to COSLA and the Scottish government that the union is moving “full steam ahead”  towards industrial action this summer period.

Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “The pay offer doesn’t come close to meeting the aspirations of our members in local government. Unite also opposes the pay anniversary date being moved to October as nothing but a cynical attempt to kick the can down the road.” 

“Politicians pretend the cost of living crisis has gone away but that just isn’t the reality for the vast majority of workers in local government who have endured years of low pay, chronic underfunding and record rates of inflation”. 

 “Unite is moving full steam ahead towards industrial action this summer unless COSLA makes a significantly improved pay offer.”

Pay offer to council workers is too low and should be rejected, says UNISON

Local government staff in Scotland are worth more than the pay increase they’ve been offered, UNISON said on Thursday.

The union is to consult thousands of council workers across Scotland over a pay offer which was made on Thursday, with a recommendation they vote to reject it.

UNISON is calling for an improvement to pay that fairly rewards council staff for the essential services they provide and starts to reverse years of pay cuts they have experienced.

Employer organisation Cosla has made a two-stage offer which runs for 18 months, which gives a 2.2% increase for the first six months and an additional 2% for a further 12 months of the deal, ending in September next year.

Chair of UNISON Scotland’s local government committee, Colette Hunter said: “The offer falls short of the level local government workers deserve and the union is recommending staff vote to reject it when they are consulted next week.

“Workers have seen the value of their pay fall over the past ten years, while often being asked to do even more. They provide vital services to their communities by caring for the most vulnerable, educating children, waste and recycling, and keeping people safe. Council workers need a pay rise that reflects this.”

GMB Scotland dismisses council pay offer as too late and too low

GMB Scotland has also rejected Cosla’s pay offer to council workers.

The union, one of the biggest in Scotland’s public sector, branded the offer too late and too low, and warned of looming industrial action.

GMB’s 20,000 members in Scots councils have already voted overwhelmingly in a consultative ballot to back industrial action if there was no acceptable offer and a formal ballot of care workers is already underway with more planned.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, confirmed the union’s local government committee rejected the offer at a meeting this afternoon.

He said: “The offer to Scotland’s council workers is too late and too low. The delay was unacceptable and the offer is unacceptable.

“It means council workers in Scotland being offered less than colleagues in England and Wales and it raises grave concerns about councils’ promise to pay all workers £15 an hour by 2026.

“This offer comes nowhere close to matching that commitment.

“We do not need any more empty promises and excuses. We need a pay offer that fairly reflects the crucial work being done by our members in local authorities delivering the frontline services that Scotland is built on.

“Inflation might be slowing but bills continue to rise and workers and their families are still being crushed by the cost of living.

“Our members in social care are among the lowest paid council workers delivering some of the most important frontline services.

“They deserve better than this. So do their colleagues and so does every Scot relying on them to deliver the services Scotland is built on.”

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.”

UNISON calls for above-inflation pay increase for local government workers

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY CAMPAIGN 2024/25

UNISON Scotland has called for a above-inflation pay increase for local government workers as it submitted its 2024/25 joint pay claim.

The unions – UNISON and Unite – submitted the claim earlier this year, although COSLA leaders are unlikely to respond before their budget allocations are finalised. UNISON has made it clear we want a deal agreed as close to the April 1, 2024 implementation date as possible.

Local government workers are continuing to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis and UNISON has warned there is a real risk that workers will find better-paid, less-stressful work elsewhere if their pay continues to lose its value.

UNISON says that an above-inflation pay increase is the only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services to the public, looking after the most vulnerable, giving children the education they need and keeping neighbourhoods safe.

The key elements of UNISON’s claim are:

  • A one-year settlement that runs for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
  • For those on the lowest pay – an above-inflation increase in line with the aspiration, agreed with UNISON in November 2023, to achieve implementation of a minimum rate of pay for all local government workers of £15 per hour by 1 April 26.
  • An increase of 7% to all spinal column points (or an increase of £1.60 to the hourly rate whichever is greater) and related allowances.
  • Urgent progress to be made on how we achieve a no detriment reduction in the working week to enable members to achieve a better work-life balance.
  • A review of the scope and level of the Distant Islands Allowance.
  • No less than parity with other local government bargaining groups.

You can read the claim in full here.

Lilian Macer, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “An above-inflation wage rise is the only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services to the public. Unless councils and schools can pay competitive rates, employees will find better-paid, less-stressful work elsewhere and new recruits will be thin on the ground.

“Our members tell us how every day how they are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and how they are struggling to make ends meet. Local government workers must be properly rewarded for the vital services they provide.

UNISON have signed a joint letter with Cosla and other unions to the Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison MSP, saying it is clear to both employers and unions “that funding levels for councils have not kept pace with increased demand for services.”

They say “Local Government is facing a cut in real terms to both core revenue and capital budgets. As a proportion of funding allocated to the Scottish Budget, the percentage for local government has declined.”

And that “this is impacted by both the growing need of services due to demographic pressures and the ongoing cost of living crisis.”

It is in everyone’s interest to achieve a sustainable settlement on pay at the earliest opportunity.

The letter states: “Scottish Local Government settlements must be sustainable alongside the significant budget challenges facing councils and it is vital that the approach to our workforce is fair, acknowledging the essential front-line services that are delivered every day.”

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Holyrood agrees general principles of National Care Service Bill

Bill ‘not fit for purpose’ say unions

Legislation which will see the introduction of a National Care Service for Scotland (NCS) has passed Stage 1 in Parliament.

MSPs have voted for the general principles of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill which will ensure greater transparency in the delivery of community health and social care, improve standards, strengthen the role of the workforce and provide better support for unpaid carers.

The proposals include establishing a National Care Service Charter, rights to breaks for carers and provisions to enact Anne’s Law so people in care homes have the right to be visited by their families.

Social Care Minister Maree Todd said: “We need long-term, widespread transformation to fix some of the ingrained issues within the system and ensure sustainability for the future. 

“We have spent considerable time working with people with lived experience on how to reform social care for the better. I’m grateful to the thousands of people who have lent their voices and I am determined to ensure the Bill delivers the positive change needed.

“Today’s vote shows that the Scottish Parliament also recognises this and I am grateful to them for bringing us one step closer to this urgent reform.

“This Bill is the biggest public sector reform since devolution and it is our chance to make meaningful change that we all agree is needed to the social care system. I know the people of Scotland will see huge benefits.”

Scotland’s largest trade union bodies have condemned the Scottish Government’s proposed National Care Service Bill as ‘not fit for purpose’ as MSPs approve the legislation at Stage 1.

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) alongside the three biggest social care unions in Scotland – UNISON, GMB SCOTLAND and UNITE – have written to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Neil Gray outlining their shared concerns on the Bill.

The letter states that social care workers’ concerns have been ‘widely ignored’ by the Scottish Government and that, at this stage of proceedings, the Bill as drafted remains ‘firmly unacceptable’.

Last week the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s report into Stage 1 drew criticism from trade unions who outlined the ‘glaring deficiencies’ of the proposals on costs and operation of the service.

Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “It beggars belief that, despite repeated warnings to the Scottish Government, Scotland’s social care workers are still in the dark on the basic fundamentals of the new National Care Service.

“Our social care sector already suffers from insecure conditions and low pay. We cannot risk those weaknesses being carried over into any new system of nationalised care.

“We must see the Scottish Government take seriously the recommendations of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s report into the Bill. This would include improving pay, terms and conditions for social care staff, including a £15 per hour minimum wage. We also need to see Scottish Government guarantees on Fair Work and sectoral bargaining in addition to full sick pay from day one of employment.

“Our social care staff are the lifeblood of our system. We value their work and it’s high time the Scottish Government does likewise.”

COSLA: “SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS” ON NATIONAL CARE SERVICE PLANS

Speaking ahead of the Stage 1 debate for the National Care Service Bill in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 29th February, Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA’s Health & Social Care Spokesperson, commented: “Councils have expressed significant concerns regarding current National Care Service plans and believe there is still work to do to ensure proposals can meet aspirations.

“In particular, Council Leaders are disappointed in the decision of the Scottish Government to continue to push through legislation where a power will be given to Ministers to delegate children and justice services, despite the potential disruption to services and extensive negotiations and concessions from Local Government.

“Council Leaders remain concerned that such a move risks excessive centralisation of decision-making away from local people and areas. Leaders did agree that COSLA should continue to work closely with Scottish Government to address these concerns.

“COSLA welcomes the progress which has been made in reforming some National Care Service proposals, including that local authorities will continue to play a central role in the delivery of, and accountability for care.

“There is a pressing need to improve people’s experiences of accessing and delivering care in Scotland. Although legislative and governance reform may be part of that, the reality is that national funding decisions – including the proposed council tax freeze which has not been fully funded – will further squeeze local care and social work services which are already under incredible pressure.

“Investment in social care must be seen as a priority which can enhance the wellbeing of people, of society and of Scotland.”

Having passed Stage One, the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill moves into Stage 2 where amendments will be considered by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee before Stage 3, when the full Parliament makes a final vote on whether to pass the Bill.

Scottish Labour Conference 2024: Usdaw seeks an end to child and in-work poverty

Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of members, reps and officials attending the annual Scottish Labour Conference in Glasgow, Friday 16 to Sunday 18 February. The union is part of a composite on child poverty.

Tracy Gilbert, Usdaw Regional Secretary for Scotland says: “One in four children in Scotland are living in poverty, which is inextricably linked to in-work poverty. It is appalling that Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner has deemed the SNP Government to have ‘absolutely failed’ to deliver for young people.

“While we welcome the Scottish Child Payment, the rising cost of living means the payment is falling in value and more direct support is needed to meet child poverty targets. The lack of appropriate childcare, and the childcare costs families continue to face, lock children in poverty despite improvements in funded childcare in recent years.

“Research shows that families with children make up around half of the families experiencing in-work poverty across Scotland. So, tackling the issue of in-work poverty is critical to ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life and the opportunity to thrive.”

The composite motion to conference calls on Scottish Labour to:

·         Prioritise the eradication of child poverty.

·         Urgently work with trade unions and the Child Poverty Commission to bring forward a comprehensive plan to eradicate child poverty.

·         Increase cash payments to families through mechanisms such as raising the minimum wage.

·         Provide safe and affordable housing.

·         Address the lack of appropriate, affordable and accessible childcare that families face to help break the cycle of child poverty.

·         Introduce meaningful support to address the most urgent priorities facing working people as a result of the cost of living crisis.

Defending the right to strike: Lessons from GCHQ

Forty years ago – on 25th Jan 1984 – Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government attacked trade union rights at GCHQ (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK).

Trade union members were told to resign their membership or be sacked.  

But after a long and heroic campaign marked by the fortitude of the workers and their families, and the solidarity of the whole movement, they were reinstated when an incoming Labour government repealed the ban.  

The spirit and fight shown at GCHQ in Cheltenham has never been more badly needed. 

Today, the Tories are once again hellbent on attacking the right to strike – a fundamental British liberty. 

Their draconian Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is even more extreme than Thatcher’s attack in 1984. 

This time over five million workers face losing their right to strike – including PCS members in border security. 

It would place onerous restrictions on public sector and rail unions and make taking effective industrial action far harder. 

Last month the TUC called its first Special Congress in 40 years to discuss how we resist these spiteful new laws. 

The message from the trade union movement was unanimous, resounding and clear – we will defend the right to strike at all costs. And we will not rest until this pernicious legislation is repealed from the statute books. 

Because let’s be clear: if the Tories get their way this is just the start. We should expect further attacks on the rights of workers and trade unions in other sectors not yet affected.   

The government wants to use this heinous new bill as a Trojan horse for other anti-union measures, including an attempted clamp-down on picketing. 

It is an ideological assault on workers’ and trade unions’ rights and a brazen attempt to silence workers’ voices and reduce their power. 

The imposition of minimum service levels means that when workers lawfully vote to take strike action, they could be told to attend work – and sacked if they don’t comply. 

Our public services are crying out for investment to address the recruitment and retention crisis they face. But, instead, the Conservatives are seeking to poison industrial relations, with the result that services deteriorate even more.  

It is all driven by an unelected and out-of-touch prime minister who has lost the confidence of the British people. We won’t let this happen.  

We will use every lever at our disposable to defeat these unworkable – and almost certainly illegal – new laws. We will name and shame any employer or public body that uses this legislation. We will challenge every work notice issued by employers. 
 
And the full force of the whole union movement will stand behind any worker disciplined or sacked for exercising their right to strike.    

Please join me – and trade union members from across the country – on Saturday the 27th of January 2024 as we march and rally in Cheltenham to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the GCHQ trade union ban. 

Let’s channel the spirit of those brave GCHQ workers and show our collective defiance against the Tories’ attack on the right to strike.

TUC warns of ‘Debt Timebomb’

Next year will see 11% real-terms rise in unsecured debt with household debt hitting record levels in 2026

  • Britain “cannot afford the Tories” – TUC General Secretary to warn in New Year Message 
  • Paul Nowak calls for early general election to “end years of national decline”  

The TUC has warned that families are facing a “debt timebomb”. The warning comes as new analysis from the union body reveals that unsecured debt (loans credit cards, purchase hire agreements) is set to increase by £1,400 in real terms next year, on average, per household. 

The analysis of official statistics shows that in 2024 household unsecured debt is forecast to rise by 11%.  

And over the course of the next parliament unsecured debt is set to rocket by £6,000 (+43%), on average, per family. 

The union body warned that unsecured debt per UK household is on course to reach a record level of £17,200 by 2026 – exceeding the previous high of £16,800 set in 2007. 

By 2028 unsecured debt per household is set to top £19,000. 

Unsecured debt includes credit cards, loans and purchase hire agreements, and excludes mortgages. The TUC excluded student loans from the analysis. 

Families left exposed  

The TUC says working people have been left brutally exposed to rising costs after years of pay stagnation. 

UK workers are on course for two decades of lost living standards with real wages not forecast to recover to their 2008 level until 2028. 

The TUC estimates that the average worker would now be £14,800 better off if their pay had kept up with pre-crisis real wage growth trends since 2008. 

The union body says the sharp spike in debt, along with stagnant living standards, will “more than wipe out” any gains from the Chancellor’s cut to national insurance tax and leave many families “under the cosh”. 

The Office for Budget Responsibility says the period between 2021 and 2024 will be the worst for living standards (real household disposable income per person) since records began in 1955. 

New Year’s Message 

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak warns that Britain “cannot afford the Tories” in his annual New Year Message. Calling for an early general election, he said: “Every month the Tories stay in office the more families will be pushed into debt. 

“This party of out-of-touch millionaires is more focussed on clinging to power than on growing our economy and getting living standards rising again. If something doesn’t change, real wages won’t recover to their 2008 levels until 2028. 

“These 13 years of economic stagnation have left working people brutally exposed to the cost of living crisis. We cannot afford a Tory government for one day longer.” 

Highlighting the choice on offer at the next election, Nowak said: “After years of national decline, Labour’s New Deal for Working People would be a gamechanger. It would be the biggest expansion of workplace rights in a generation.  

“No more zero-hours contracts and no more fire and rehire. Employment rights from day one. Union rights to access the workplace. New fair pay agreements. Repealing the attacks on the right to strike. 

“And more than that, the prospect of a new era of a grown-up, constructive approach to industrial relations, where disputes are solved through negotiation. 

“And a clear commitment to put unions and employers at the heart of a modern-day industrial strategy.” 

Highlighting the TUC’s ongoing campaign against the government’s new anti-strike laws, Paul Nowak said: “Nobody withdraws their labour lightly. It is the last resort when employers refuse to talk and refuse to compromise. 

“The action taken by union members [in 2023] forced bosses across the country back to the negotiating table and secured better deals. Unions will do everything in our power to defend that right to strike. It is a cornerstone of our democracy. 

“We won’t be intimidated by this government, and we won’t be bullied. The Tories’ Strikes Act is toxic, unworkable, undemocratic and likely illegal. And it’s a brazen attempt to try stop working people winning better pay and conditions. 

“The entire trade union movement will rally behind any worker who is sacked for exercising their right to strike.” 

STUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: Usdaw seeks to tackle gender-based violence and poverty

Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of reps and officials attending the annual Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) Disabled Workers’ Conference in Glasgow, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December.

The union has submitted motions on tackling gender-based violence against disabled workers, along with building a movement of protest against poverty.

Tracy Gilbert – Usdaw Regional Secretary for Scotland says: “The number of disabled people living in poverty in Scotland has increased in recent years with more than half of all people in poverty living in a household with at least one disabled worker.

“We reject any suggestion that this is inevitable, poverty and the failure to tackle inequality are political decisions. The disability employment gap in Scotland remains high with disabled women facing even greater discrimination, larger pay gaps and higher unemployment.

“As well as taking action to offset the immediate impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on disabled people and their families; the Scottish and Westminster governments must also act to address the underlying historical inequalities experienced by disabled people including the disproportionate impact of austerity policies.”

Usdaw welcomes the important role the Disabled Workers Committee play setting the record straight and is asking the STUC to:

  • Support the efforts of unions and disabled people’s organisations to tackle disability discrimination and change the way disabled people are viewed, valued and included in Scottish and wider UK society.
  • Campaign for improvements to social security so that as well as protecting disabled workers from poverty, it also prevents poverty; takes into account the significant and additional costs of being disabled; and fully supports independent living.
  • Continue to build a movement of protest against the current cost of living crisis that highlights the specific impact of the current crisis on disabled people and puts their voices centre stage.

Tracy Gilbert continues: “Studies show that disabled women are disproportionately likely to experience gender-based violence but are far less likely to report it.

“Workplace trade union reps have a vital role in supporting women workers to recognise and recover from abuse and this is particularly the case for disabled women who are often less able to access appropriate support and to have their voices heard.

“Changes to domestic violence legislation to include coercive control are important in understanding how specific abuse against disabled women may manifest itself in a variety of ways, for example where the abuser controls someone through their impairment or support needs.

“We commend the work union reps are doing to support disabled survivors of domestic abuse.”

Usdaw is seeking greater recognition by employers of the challenges disabled women face in escaping abuse and is calling on the STUC to:

  • Support affiliated unions to negotiate domestic abuse policies with employers that recognise the specific needs of disabled women workers.   
  • Involve disabled women in developing the trade union and labour movement’s work on gender-based violence.

Why global solidarity and action matter for decent work in the care economy

Care matters to us all. We all want good quality cradle to grave care for ourselves and our loved ones (writes TUC’s ABIGAIL HUNT). This is only possible if the workers delivering care services have good pay and conditions.

The global care workforce is huge, totalling at least 381 million workers, two-thirds of whom are women. Worldwide this is 11.5 per cent of total employment and 19.3 per cent of female employment. 

In the UK, adult social care jobs alone contribute at least £55.7 billion to the economy and constitute around 6 per cent of total UK employment. 

Yet care work is persistently insecure and exploitative. Low and insecure pay, bad employment conditions, violence and harassment, and a limited training and career development are part and parcel of everyday life for care workers.  

Recent TUC analysis shows that care workers across the UK are earning below the real living wage and are significantly underpaid relative to pay across the rest of the economy. The median salary of social care workers and childcare practitioners is less than two-thirds of that of all employees nationally.  

On 29th October, trade unions, governments, the UN and other social partners will mark the International Day for Care.

This day, initiated by trade unions and recognised in July through a UN General Assembly Resolution, gives visibility to the care economy – and care workers – worldwide and provides an opportunity to build momentum for increased public investment and decent work in the care sector.  

Here are three ways that global solidarity and action matter for decent work in the care economy: 

  1. The care workforce is global 

In recent years ‘global care chains’ have emerged as rising demand for care services has seen migrant workers, largely female, fill care jobs – including childcare, social care and domestic workers as well as nurses, doctors and educators – in turn leaving their own children and relatives in the care of paid workers and family in their home country.  

The UK is a key link in the chain, with labour migration increasingly recognised as critical to deliver care services. In 2022 the UK Government expanded the care worker visa scheme to help tackle the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis in social care. This meant that in 2022/23 70,000 international care workers were recruited, up 50,000 from the previous year.  

But the TUC has identified that as international recruitment has increased, so has the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers.

This includes wage theft, high recruitment fees with non-permitted repayment clauses and debt bondage as well as abuse of the immigration system by employers to blackmail workers and prevent them seeking other employment. 

Therefore the fight for decent care jobs must include the experiences, priorities and needs of international care workers.  

  1. The global union movement provides solidarity and support 

Global union solidarity and joint action is critical to build care worker movements and support workers.  

Sharing insights into working conditions helps unions provide vital workforce support. Trade unions in destination countries have provided information on immigration, employment rights and common labour abuses with migrant care workers via unions in countries of origin. This toolkit produced by unions in Italy is a great example.  

Global links also help unions make the most of political opportunities. Following the UK Labour party’s commitment to a Fair Pay Agreement in social care, the TUC has been learning from sister unions about their experiences with a similar system for sectoral collective bargaining in New Zealand.  

And global bodies like the International Trades Union Confederation and Public Services International help build care worker power. From inspiring and informing unions by documenting workers’ wins in the care economy to convening affiliates to influence global policy, international federations play a key role in the achievement of decent care work.  

  1. Global labour law and policy raise the bar on domestic standards for decent care work  

Global and regional labour standards and policy have tackled historic discrimination and exploitation against care workers by setting transnational employment rights floors – and binding governments to act.  

Recent examples include the groundbreaking 2011 Domestic Workers Convention (C. 189) at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN agency that sets global labour standards, secured following a long campaign led by the International Domestic Workers’ Federation.

Many unions have now turned their attention to getting their government to ratify C.189, including in the UK. From Belgium to Mexico, where it is in force, C.189 has helped extend rights such as paid leave, minimum wages and employment contracts to domestic workers.  

In 2015 governments worldwide agreed the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality (Goal 5) and decent work (Goal 8). This has increased resources and political will, putting care on the policy agenda for the first time ever in many countries. 

Important regional initiatives have also emerged. Earlier this year European social partners agreed a social dialogue committee for social services, including adult social care and childcare, covering around 9 million workers across the EU. 

Next year will bring important opportunities to reinforce the global framework for care workers’ rights.  

In May 2024 governments, trade unions and employers will discuss decent work in the care economy at the International Labour Conference, where unions will seek commitment to a new ILO standard for care jobs. 

And we hope to see the UN General Assembly build on this year’s Resolution with a more substantive agreement committing governments to building and financing comprehensive care systems – with decent work and collective bargaining at their heart.  

Follow the International Day for Care: #InvestInCare #Care2023 

Read more about TUC’s priorities for the care workforce at these links: