GMB Scotland pulls support for new National Care Service

GMB Scotland has withdrawn support for the Scottish Government’s blueprint for a new National Care Service (NCS).

Members working in social care have overwhelmingly voted to pull out of the planning process after more than two years of talks.

The trade union, one of the largest in the care sector, said the NCS bill currently going through Holyrood will fail to compel employers to pay staff fairly and, without that, will not ease the crisis in social care.

Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said the new NCS had to tackle low pay and private profiteering in social care but the opportunity has been squandered.

She said the failure to properly protect workers’ rights meant it is no surprise 79% of members in social care voted to withdraw support from the legislation intended to underpin the service.

Gilmour said: “We have spent years helping plan this new care service but it is clear we have been wasting our time and resource.

“After hundreds of meetings, millions of pounds, and no significant progress, our members in social care have decided enough is enough.

“This was an opportunity to rebuild a care system in crisis by properly recognising the skills, experience and commitment of the workers actually delivering that care.

“Instead of recognising the value of those frontline staff, these plans only add bureaucracy to a service that is already choking on it.

“The problems in social care are obvious and the solution is just as clear and would mean employers being compelled to fairly pay and properly protect care workers.

“Instead, years of talks and millions of pounds have been wasted while that fundamental issue has been ignored and our care system sinks deeper into crisis.

“We have heard plenty of warm words about our campaign for carers to earn £15 an hour, for example, but progress has been glacial.

“All the time and money spent on the National Care Service should have transformed how care is delivered, protecting workers and those they care for. It has, instead, achieved nothing.”

In a letter to health secretary Neil Gray and social care minister Maree Todd, GMB Scotland said the proposed structure of the NCS meant it would be unable to raise standards and protect workers’ rights.  

Cara Stevenson, organiser of the women’s campaign unit, wrote: “We have been clear that local authorities, health and social care partnerships, and Integrational Joint Boards have not managed social care effectively to date and they have not been prepared to take action against poor employers.

“They have time and time again procured these employers. We have been promised ethical commissioning underpinned by Fair Work, but given no detail on what this will look like.

“Our union’s experience of and engagement with Scottish Ministers on Fair Work has been poor. We therefore have little confidence that it would be in a position to effectively address our members’ issues.”

She said the amendments made to the legislation do not create a clear and influential role for trade unions within the NCS and the contribution of the union and members during the planning of the new service is not reflected in the legislation.

Her letter said those delivering social care in Scotland and those receiving it should be not asked to take “a leap of faith” on what might happen years from now when the service is in crisis today.

Stevenson said the planning process – so-called co-design – has eaten up years of time and resource but become “a never-ending process without clear aims or outcomes.”

She said: “Social care is in crisis. Our members in the sector – especially those in private social care – are currently toiling under low pay, terms and conditions which has created a recruitment and retention crisis.

“They have had year after year of pay offers which has fallen below inflation imposed by the Scottish Government without collective bargaining.

“They have had £38million ripped from under them that was intended to provide some of the most basic terms and conditions across the sector: sick pay, maternity pay, and paternity pay.

“There can be no recovery in our NHS without a recovery in social care. And there can be no recovery in social care without investment in the workforce.

“Our members see their energies and the public’s money as being better spent on progressing the implementation of sectoral bargaining; and improving the pay, terms and conditions of the workforce.

“These would be meaningful changes to our members that would ultimately lead to higher quality care for those most in need. A clear aim which the Scottish Government should aspire to.”