UNISON said the staff will be on strike this week.

Care workers employed by Enable Scotland will take two days of strike action this week in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, as part of an ongoing pay dispute. 

UNISON said staff will be on strike Tuesday, and again on Thursday. They will also hold rallies in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, demanding fair pay.

Employees will hand over symbolic ‘invoices’ to the office of  cabinet secretary for health and social care Neil Gray, calling for payment of their outstanding earnings.

UNISON estimates care workers have been underpaid by £5,500* since April 2022. This is because of the Scottish government’s broken promise to match carers’ pay with NHS rates.

The Scottish government sets the hourly pay rates for care workers across Scotland and can resolve this dispute and lift thousands of care workers out of poverty, says the union.

Previous strikes took place in May and June this year, with care staff across Scotland walking out for the first time in 10 years.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “These care workers have been underpaid for far too long. Going on strike is the last thing they want to do, but they’ve been left with no other option.

“They deliver vital care to some of the most vulnerable people in the country, yet their wages simply aren’t enough to live on.

“The Scottish government must do the right thing by better funding social care and showing workers that they value them by paying them fair, decent wages.”

UNISON Scotland regional organiser Jennifer McCarey said: “No care worker takes the decision to strike lightly. But after years of broken promises, low pay and with a sector in crisis, they’ve had enough.

“Staff are taking a stand not just for themselves but for the people they care for every day. 

"Only substantial improvement to the hourly rate for care workers in Scotland will save the sector from disaster.

“The Scottish government must invest in social care and deliver fair pay to the workers who provide these essential services.”