Glasgow social care strike ends

Around 600 Glasgow Council social care workers ended a three-and-a-half week strike over their job grade on Friday, after the authority offered the vast majority of them the grade that they wanted.

Unison members accepted a deal that would see most of them rise from “role profile” five to six by April 2008, which they claim better reflects their responsibilities managing those social services cases not handled by social workers.

The union claimed that the “solidarity of the members on strike was instrumental in delivering the key objective that they sought”. However, while the council said it was pleased a deal had been reached, a spokesperson added: “This is an offer that could have been negotiated without anyone losing three weeks’ pay.”

Over 550 strikers – a number that was later supplemented – went on strike on 24 July over their grade, which was imposed following a council-wide job evaluation last year.

They rejected earlier attempts to settle the strike from the council, which would have only enabled a minority of staff to progress up a grade.

Brian Esdale, a Unison active steward and social care worker working with older and disabled people, said social care workers did essentially the same job as qualified social workers, who are on role profile seven, and the dispute was about status not pay.

The salary difference between the two grades at the top end is over £5,000 a year, however social care workers will initially be moved on to the bottom of the grade six scale.

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