Report warns of impending staff crisis; equal pay campaigners reject it as "scaremongering"
Thousands of Glasgow Council care staff awarded equal pay settlements are set to leave their jobs warns a new report.
The council’s Joint Integration Board fears the payouts will encourage the staff to leave and has warned the care inspectorate of the impact on services.
Council bosses estimate anything between 18-40% of low-paid care staff could leave their posts which would result in a loss of between 38-40% to service capacity.
A detailed plan has been agreed to train a minimum of 400 new home carers over a 2 – 3 month period in response to the potential loss.
Currently it takes eight full days plus two shadowing days to complete induction training with all new home carers having to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
Some 78% of the 2,677 home carers are to receive payouts with some reaching £100,000 after the council and unions reached an agreement on a package of payments this year.
A spokesman for the council said: "We are currently understanding and planning for a potential loss of capacity in service provision as a result of the settlement of equal pay claims.
"We have an operational team looking at how we can mitigate against this situation and adapt the way we operate and deliver services, to lessen the impact.
"The precise effect on the service is uncertain at this stage but it is clearly prudent to prepare for what may lie ahead."
However Brenda Monaghan, who led campaign group Carers For Equal Pay said the council was trying to make their win “unpalatable.”
“For many this is not life-changing money,” she said. “Carers salaries have meant we have lived on the breadline, working in poverty, and many carers have accrued debt. Most of the payout will go to paying off that debt.
“I know of no care staff who intend to leave; they can’t afford to. Contrary to this scaremongering report, carers form a dedicated loyal workforce.
"This money deserved and hard-fought for pay settlement does not change that.”
It is likely the payments will total more than £500m and payments will be paid from April.
