Care workers employed by Enable Scotland walk out today(Thursday) in a dispute over pay.
The strike will roll out across five days in different regions of the country, beginning with in East Renfrewshire, and continuing in Aberdeenshire, Moray, 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: “The last thing care workers want to do is strike. It’s been a very difficult decision for them.
“But promises of pay increases made by government ministers have been broken and Enable workers’ pay has worsened.
“The care sector is in crisis and the responsibility for that lies squarely with the Scottish government.
“Until care staff are valued properly and paid fairly, the sector will never have the workforce it needs.”
UNISON member and personal assistant with Enable Scotland for eight years Anna Baird said: “I love my job and the people I support, that’s why this decision was so hard. But we’re at breaking point.
“We’ve been made promises for years, but nothing changes. Our pay doesn’t reflect the responsibility we carry and many of us are struggling to make ends meet. We’re just asking to be valued 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:
• Thursday 29 May – East Renfrewshire (Melisa House, Brand St, G51 1DR)
• 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.
