Care workers employed by Enable Scotland in Aberdeenshire and Moray will walk out tomorrow (Tuesday) in a dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Monday).
Five days of strikes are being rolled out across different regions of the country, continuing tomorrow in Aberdeenshire and Moray. These will be followed by walkouts in Ayrshire, Edinburgh and Glasgow over subsequent days.
The action will culminate in a march and rally at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Thursday 12 June.
The walkout is the first national care strike in Scotland for more than a decade. It comes after years of broken promises and delays by the Scottish government to reform and fund social care properly, says UNISON
The union says care staff have been left with no option after being consistently let down by ministers.
UNISON Scotland regional organiser Jennifer McCarey said: “Care workers do not want strike but the care sector is in crisis.
“Promises of pay increases made by government ministers keep being broken and Enable workers’ pay has worsened.
“Care staff must be valued properly and paid fairly, otherwise the sector will never have the workforce it needs.”
UNISON member and personal assistant with Enable Scotland for two years Robert McNamara, said: “We love our jobs and the people we support. It’s been so hard to make this decision. But nothing ever changes, and we have run out of patience.
“We are paid the legal minimum and it doesn’t reflect the responsibility we carry. We’re just asking for fair pay for the vital work we do.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON represents around 600 workers at Enable Scotland.
– The strike dates and picket lines are as follows:
• Tuesday 3 June – Aberdeenshire/Moray (Grassic Gibbon Centre, Arbuthnott, AB30 1PB)
• Friday 6 June – Ayrshire (Busby Business Centre, Tannock Street, Kilmarnock, KA1 4DN)
• Tuesday 10 June – North Lanarkshire/Central services staff (Inspire House, 3 Renshaw Place, Eurocentral, Motherwell ML1 4UF)
• Thursday 12 June – Edinburgh and Glasgow. A march and rally is being staged at the Scottish Parliament.
– UNISON has agreed ‘life and limb’ cover with the employer during the strike to protect those most at risk.
– UNISON is Scotland’s largest union, with more than 150,000 members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.