Pay rise for carers
SOCIAL care staff are to receive a pay rise to equal the real living wage, Jeane Freeman has announced.
Scotland’s Health Secretary made the promise at yesterday’s coronavirus briefing, saying that social care employee’s work “is always hugely valued, and never more so than now.”
It means all those working in the social care sector will receive an immediate 3.3 per cent pay rise, backdated to April 1, and will receive at least £9.30 an hour.
The funds will apply to all hours worked, including when staff have to sleep over at clients’ homes, and hours worked by personal care assistants.
Ms Freeman said: “Scotland’s dedicated social care workers are on the front line of our national pandemic response.
“Their work is always hugely valued, and never more so than now.
“The measures we are announcing in partnership with Cosla today will ensure all people providing adult social care receive the real living wage for every hour worked with immediate effect, rather than having to wait until later in the year.”
The Scottish Government is also to provide funding to third sector and independent providers specifically to ensure staff receive sick pay if they are off work ill or because they are self-isolating.
Ms Freeman added: “As well as providing an uplift in pay for all social care workers, this package ensures social care providers have both flexibility to increase wages across their organisations and the necessary funding for sick pay if their employees are off ill or are self-isolating.”
Andy Kerr, chairman of the Fair Work in Social Care Group, said: “This announcement will provide social care providers the confidence, in these very challenging times, to ensure a very welcome and deserved pay uplift for social care staff working in Scotland.
“As well as recognising the importance of their work, today’s announcement also gives reassurance that financial support is available for those who are sick or self-isolating during this unprecedented situation.
“It also reflects the work we are doing as part of the overall reform of adult social care to build a framework for fair work across the sector.”
Trade union Unison welcomed the announcement, however Mike Kirby, the organisation’s Scotland secretary, warned providers that they must act quickly to implement the new policy.
He also said that firms must not roll back on the pay promises once the pandemic is over.
Mr Kirby said: “Unison Scotland welcomes today’s announcement. While the Scottish Living Wage has been policy over recent years, there have been differences of view over adequate funding being provided by Scottish Government through Cosla, leading to protracted contracting process and delays in money reaching care workers.
“This deal should remove these obstacles. The challenge is now to work with providers to ensure speedy implementation.
“This deal begins to recognise the real value in society of this workforce. When this crisis is over, there must be no slipping back.”
It comes as the Government has been urged to publish figures on the number of people in care homes who have suspected coronavirus.
Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservatives health spokesman, said the data must be released, after the
BBC was told it could take three months for the figures to be released by the Care Inspectorate.
According to the report, around half of Scotland’s privately-run care homes have suspected coronavirus cases,
Scotland’s dedicated social care workers are on the front line of our national pandemic response
according to industry body Scottish Care.
The Care Inspectorate has asked all care homes to notify them when they have a suspected coronavirus case or when a resident dies from the virus, and to keep them updated on staff shortages.
However, the taxpayer-funded watchdog is refusing to publish the Scotland-wide data at the height of the pandemic, and said it is due to concerns over the “robustness of the data”.
The same information is being used by the Scottish Government, health boards and councils to help them plan and tackle the virus crisis.
Mr Briggs said: “The SNP Government will have these figures from the Care Inspectorate, so there’s no excuse for them to be kept secret.
“Staff, residents and families are worried sick about the impact of coronavirus in care homes.
“That’s why it’s essential they are given all the necessary information.
“Now’s the time for these crucial statistics to be made public, and as quickly as possible.”