Care home staff rallying at Holyrood will meet ministers
Ministers will meet protesting care home workers “abandoned and betrayed” after Covid.
The talks will come as GMB Scotland members in social care demonstrate at the Scottish Parliament tomorrow days after a survey revealed most do not believe conditions in homes have improved since the pandemic.
Health secretary Neil Gray and social care minister Maree Todd will meet a delegation from the union, one of the biggest in social care, including workers to discuss the crisis in the private sector.
The rally at Holyrood comes days after a GMB survey revealed conditions for staff and residents in private care are the same or worse than during the pandemic despite promises of change.
Almost 90% said wages are no better now than during Covid despite promised improvements as workers call for fair wages, sick pay and better working conditions.
Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said ministers should listen to workers and then act to ensure the improvements to pay and conditions promised after the pandemic are delivered.
She said: “The staff and residents in private care homes were abandoned during the pandemic when many were not given the proper equipment or guidance to protect themselves or their families.
“Staff and residents in many of those homes were thrown to the wolves because of decisions taken by policy-makers with no knowledge of their work or its crucial importance.
“Their commitment and life-saving care saved countless lives despite being exposed to grave but unnecessary risk and they were promised tha, after Covid, things would change.
“Nothing has changed and, if anything, conditions are even worse now than then.
“It cannot go on. MSPs in the Scottish Parliament will hear our members outside and every one must listen and then act to deliver decent wages, sick pay and security for workers asking for nothing but fairness.”
The GMB Scotand survey released on Monday, the fifth anniversary of lockdown, of 800 members in private care reveals that pay, conditions and levels of care have not improved in most homes.
The poll shows 62% of care staff believe working conditions have not improved since lockdown; 82% said staffing levels are no better; and 86% said their wages are no better now than then.
More than half (52%) said their homes have not improved health and safety procedures since the pandemic.
Nine out of ten (87%) say owners are more interested in profit than giving staff fair pay and decent conditions.
Last year, unions urged the return of £38 million of funding ringfenced for social care but secretly cut from Scottish Government budgets while progress towards the promised £15 an hour minimum wage has stalled.
