Following the Scottish government announcement that the national care service bill will not progress to Stage 2, UNISON regional manager Simon Macfarlane said: “This flawed bill never tackled fundamental problems in the system like chronic low pay, insecure working conditions, and sick pay.
“One of the key problems is large profits ending up in shareholder coffers with many of them based offshore, rather than being spent on care workers and the people they care for. Only improving pay and conditions will start to tackle the sector’s big staff turnover.
“The government need to get around the table with unions, councils and care providers to deliver a national care service worthy of the name. We need to get profit out of care, and invest now in hard working care workers.”
Notes to editors
– UNISON is the largest union in Scotland with its members delivering social care, education, local government, NHS, police services, utilities and energy. They are employed in public, private and voluntary sectors.