UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / February 03, 2021 / Unite Scotland has today (Wednesday 3 February) given a ‘cautious’ welcome to the recommendations from the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland. 

The Review is anticipated to support calls for the creation of a National Care Service and that the collective bargaining of terms and conditions is central to a redesigned care system with social care workers shaping its future design and delivery. The Review is also expected to highlight the structural challenges in the social care sector which provide barriers to workers being able to collectively bargain for improved pay and conditions. 

Unite launched its ‘Who cares for carers’ campaign in December 2020 which aimed to target the low pay and poor working conditions of Scotland’s hard working and dedicated social care sector workers. At present there are currently no sectoral agreements in place for Third sector care workers, which the nation's leading trade union has stated must be addressed as part of any prospective National Care Service.

Unite Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said: “Unite Scotland offers a cautious welcome to the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland. We have repeatedly called for a mechanism which offers a route to collective bargaining for all carers not covered by existing and agreed bargaining processes. This is essential if we are to ensure that standards are met, regulated and every carer receives the best pay and conditions. The creation of a National Care Service is essential to this process and to ensuring the highest standards are met across the whole social care sector but it’s not a silver bullet in itself. The system must be properly funded by government, and in light of the past 12 months, we need to move forward with urgency.”