Strike poll after care home staff angered by job cuts

RESIDENTIAL care workers are to be balloted for strike action from today over “appalling” redundancy plans by their employer, a union has said.

Bosses at the Broomfield Court home, in the Barmulloch area of Glasgow, told 47 members of staff on Zoom last month that the specialist dementia care home will be closing at the end of June.

The staff were told by Larchwood Care that the home was “not financially viable” – despite profits reportedly increasing to £3.8 million last year.

Workers at the care home will lose their jobs in a few weeks, and will be paid the minimum rate of redundancy pay.

A consultative ballot of members of the GMB union, including care, catering and domestic staff, unanimously gave their support to moving to a statutory industrial ballot in a bid to secure enhanced redundancy packages, as well as additional payments for staff working up until the closure date.

The industrial action ballot will run until May 16.

GMB Scotland organiser, Kirsty Nimmo, said: “Larchwood bosses have made it very clear this care home closure is all about profit and not people. Their appalling actions represent everything that’s wrong with our broken care system and the chronic exploitation of its workers.

“Larchwood can’t be allowed to ditch these key workers on the cheap.

Our members want better value from their employer for everything they’ve done.”