Glasgow - Equal Pay Update
I enjoyed the comment Stefan Cross posted on Facebook in response to the latest equal pay 'scare story' from Glasgow City Council
Latest excuse:
WE DONT WANT TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU'RE ENTITLED TO AS YOU MIGHT LEAVE!
Now that is funny!
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16103665.Managers_fear_care_crisis_if__equal_pay_staff_take_settlements_as_opportunity_to_retire/
Cordia managers fear Glasgow care crisis if staff take equal pay settlements as opportunity to retire
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16103665.Managers_fear_care_crisis_if__equal_pay_staff_take_settlements_as_opportunity_to_retire/
Cordia managers fear Glasgow care crisis if staff take equal pay settlements as opportunity to retire
By Stephen Naysmith - The Herald
Cordia workers have campaigned under the slogan: Equal pay or we walk away. But now there are fears, some could leave now the battle is won. Photo by Kirsty Anderson / Herald & Times
Home care services in Glasgow could see a mass exodus of staff when historic equal pay claims are settled, health and social care chiefs have been warned.
With nearly one in five members of staff aged over 60, the vast majority of them women, managers fear many will take the opportunity to retire, once they receive a settlement, and walk away.
A major recruitment drive has seen 300 new workers recruited in the last year, but Cordia home care manager Frances McMeeking told a meeting of the city's Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) it may not be enough to prevent a care crisis in the city.
She said the amount of regulation of the workforce, particularly the need for vetting of those working with vulnerable groups, and the demands of registering with the Scottish Social Services Council, were making care jobs less attractive.
"We have an ageing workforce and there are layers of governance and legislation which can mean that in comparison with working in a supermarket, it is not so attractive a career," she said.
Home care workers must be registered with the SSSC by 2020, but Ms McMeeking said Cordia was aiming to have its 3000 care workers registered by the middle of next year.
HERALD VIEW: Fair and timely solution must be found to equal pay claim
However the recent decision by Glasgow City Council to settle equal pay claims could throw plans off track, she said. "We fear that if this leads to significant pay-outs, our workforce will be depleted rapidly. Around 18 per cent of our staff are over 60 and many of those over-60s might see this as an opportunity to retire."
Ms McMeeking said a change to terms and conditions which saw the majority of workers doing shifts of seven days on, and seven days off, had attracted a new cohort, particularly mothers, who wanted to work for the city's arms-length care provider and welcomed the flexibility.
Roles can also attract those looking for "second jobs" she said. But no modelling has been done of how many staff exactly might leave, or when. "We are not in control of the timescale for any settlement," she added.
Cordia Chair councillor Ken Andrew, also sits on the HSCP. He warned the ageing population was already putting pressure on the system, with those receiving care becoming progressively more frail even as new people come into the care system.
"Things are going to be pretty difficult for a number of years. This is something you need to develop a strategy for," he told the HSCP.
North Lanarkshire Council, Scotland’s third largest local authority, has already paid out £130 million to settle equal-pay claims, but has not as yet seen an exodus of staff. A spokesman for the council said of those who had left, many had been close to retirement anyway. The size of settlements for those whose are deemed to have been discriminated against tend to depend on length of service.
READ MORE: Glasgow City Council set to back down over £500m equal pay claims
It is not yet known how much Glasgow City Council will have to pay to settle existing claims but some estimates have suggested the final bill could be as high as £500 million.
Cordia workers have campaigned under the slogan: Equal pay or we walk away. But now there are fears, some could leave now the battle is won. Photo by Kirsty Anderson / Herald & Times
Home care services in Glasgow could see a mass exodus of staff when historic equal pay claims are settled, health and social care chiefs have been warned.
With nearly one in five members of staff aged over 60, the vast majority of them women, managers fear many will take the opportunity to retire, once they receive a settlement, and walk away.
A major recruitment drive has seen 300 new workers recruited in the last year, but Cordia home care manager Frances McMeeking told a meeting of the city's Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) it may not be enough to prevent a care crisis in the city.
She said the amount of regulation of the workforce, particularly the need for vetting of those working with vulnerable groups, and the demands of registering with the Scottish Social Services Council, were making care jobs less attractive.
"We have an ageing workforce and there are layers of governance and legislation which can mean that in comparison with working in a supermarket, it is not so attractive a career," she said.
Home care workers must be registered with the SSSC by 2020, but Ms McMeeking said Cordia was aiming to have its 3000 care workers registered by the middle of next year.
HERALD VIEW: Fair and timely solution must be found to equal pay claim
However the recent decision by Glasgow City Council to settle equal pay claims could throw plans off track, she said. "We fear that if this leads to significant pay-outs, our workforce will be depleted rapidly. Around 18 per cent of our staff are over 60 and many of those over-60s might see this as an opportunity to retire."
Ms McMeeking said a change to terms and conditions which saw the majority of workers doing shifts of seven days on, and seven days off, had attracted a new cohort, particularly mothers, who wanted to work for the city's arms-length care provider and welcomed the flexibility.
Roles can also attract those looking for "second jobs" she said. But no modelling has been done of how many staff exactly might leave, or when. "We are not in control of the timescale for any settlement," she added.
Cordia Chair councillor Ken Andrew, also sits on the HSCP. He warned the ageing population was already putting pressure on the system, with those receiving care becoming progressively more frail even as new people come into the care system.
"Things are going to be pretty difficult for a number of years. This is something you need to develop a strategy for," he told the HSCP.
North Lanarkshire Council, Scotland’s third largest local authority, has already paid out £130 million to settle equal-pay claims, but has not as yet seen an exodus of staff. A spokesman for the council said of those who had left, many had been close to retirement anyway. The size of settlements for those whose are deemed to have been discriminated against tend to depend on length of service.
READ MORE: Glasgow City Council set to back down over £500m equal pay claims
It is not yet known how much Glasgow City Council will have to pay to settle existing claims but some estimates have suggested the final bill could be as high as £500 million.
