Give us a break!
HOMECARE staff at Glasgow’s biggest care provider are spending their breaks in bus shelters, closes or wandering the streets.
Staff from Cordia, an arm’s length firm of Glasgow City Council, say they do not have somewhere warm and safe to take their breaks. Trade union Unison surveyed their members across 33 different areas of Glasgow and found the majority of staff did not have adequate facilities to make hot food or drinks, go to the toilet or shelter from bad weather.
They say the issues have been caused by the introduction of new shift patterns which led some staff to work a split shift with more than an hour and a half break, while others were moved to areas far away from home.
For staff who work during the night the union says the problems are more dangerous. Evening workers say they take their breaks in bus shelters or walk the streets until it is time to return to work as no cafes or shops are open, and they do not have anywhere safe to go.
From the 87 home carers asked, 95 per cent did not have access to a clean toilet during their breaks, while 97 per cent lacked access to drinking water, shelter from the cold and rain or facilities to prepare food. One home carer from Maryhill said: “No cafes or shops that sell hot food are open so I am standing about in the cold and dark nights for that half hour.”
Another from Maryhill added: “The nearest place l can go is the supermarket but our line managers do not want us going there.
“It’s the nearest place to my area where I can have use of a toilet. My break is in the evening between 7pm and 8 pm so in the winter it’s not ideal.”
The union say it is unfair to expect staff to pay for transport home, or to pay to use cafes in order to have somewhere to keep warm. They are now calling for Cordia to take action and work with them.
Sam Macartney, Glasgow Unison Branch Officer, said: “This is a health and safety at work issue, but it’s also about dignity at work.
“These staff provide an essential service for vulnerable people in our communities and deserve to be treated with respect.
“A toilet, drinking water and a warm place to sit and eat on breaks is not unreasonable.
“Unison has written to Andy Clark, acting chief executive of Cordia, to ask for a response to these findings and to seek a commitment from Cordia management to work together with us to solve the problems that have been identified by UNISON’s survey.”
Andy Clark replied: “We have a regular forum with all unions who represent our staff, and this issue has never been raised. It’s disappointing that Unison has chosen to make its point in the media rather than via this forum.
“However, Cordia is committed to the welfare of our staff, and we are happy to meet with Unison to find appropriate solutions. I can tell you at this stage that we do have seven home care bases with toilets and facilities to make a hot drink.
“These are in Drumchapel, Whiteinch, Petershill, Templeton at Glasgow Green, Baillieston, Portman Street at Paisley Road Toll and in Castlemilk. These are open until 10pm, long after the end of the last breaks. For staff not within easy reach of these bases, we will seek to find alternatives.”