Glasgow social care strike called off

A planned strike by more than 2000 social care staff in Glasgow over pay cuts has been called off at the eleventh hour after public sector union Unison stuck a deal with the council.

Social workers and social care staff working for Glasgow Council were due to begin a three day strike next week over the implementation of the council’s workforce pay and benefits review, to enable it to meet single status targets in 2009.

Unison chair for Glasgow city branch Mike Kirby said social workers were unaffected but were prepared to strike in support of social care staff and support staff.

They were facing cuts of between £1000 and £5000 because of council delays in getting the necessary training or service redesign completed by March 2009.

The delays meant either new jobs might not be in place for staff to do by 2009, or that they would not have completed their training courses to do them.
 
The council agreed to extend the deadline so that all training and redesign could be completed without staff being penalised.

Kirby said that of 32 authorities in Scotland only three had completed the implementation of the necessary changes to meet the single status agreement.