Care staff line streets demanding equal pay
CARE staff and support workers took to the streets outside Renfrewshire House on the last day of strike action.
Dozens of staff gathered along both sides of Miller Street yesterday, which passes Renfrewshire Council’s headquarters, asking for cars to beep in support of their stance.
The workers in the sector are demanding equal pay amid accusations bosses have been underpaying them for years.
They started their three- day industrial action on Tuesday.
The council has now agreed the salaries of care staff should be two grades higher and backdate the pay rise four years.
Gwenda Helie, a home carer worker in Renfrewshire, was at the strike action and is calling on bosses to give a date as to when the back payments will be paid.
She said: “They’ve not met our demands.
“They will not give us a date as to when we will receive it which is not any good at all.
“But here today the spirits are high and the girls are fighting for just what we deserve.
“Fair pay, that’s it.
“Morale is high and the public is 100% behind us. The comments we have gotten from people, even from families that we have looked after, have been so positive.
“All we want is equal pay across the board with other workers that work for the council and we want it done as soon as possible.
“We are always the underdogs and the lowest paid.”
There will be a meeting with GMB and top bosses today to discuss a resolution to the dispute.
Earlier this week, talks had been underway to resolve the matter, however they failed to materialise with workers saying they would ultimately be left “shortchanged”.
We previously reported that Kirsten Muat, GMB Scotland organiser, said if the staff had been graded properly years ago, they would be higher up the pay scale by now.
She said: “Care workers are disappointed at having to continue strike action but determined to secure wages that fairly reflect their work along with the money already owed to them.
“The detail of how and when back pay will be calculated could make thousands of pounds of difference to our members.
“The council must understand
that having come so far, our members are in no mood to be underpaid again and will continue to fight for every penny that is owed to them.
“They are not looking for a penny more than they are owed but will not settle for a penny less.”
A Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “We carried out a job evaluation in line with our national scheme which involved input from job holders and trade unions.
“In addition, and as requested by the unions, we also sought an independent review of our evaluation which confirmed our job evaluation assessment and outcome. This has been shared with our unions and we continue to work with them in order to resolve this dispute.”