Lancashire social care support workers strike for third time
Around 200 members of UNISON are walking out for three days
Staff in social work teams across Lancashire are to walk out for three days starting from tomorrow (Wednesday) in a third round of strikes over salary grades and working cover, says UNISON.
As many as 200 social care support officers and hearing impairment officers employed by Lancashire County Council are to strike. This follows four days of action taken at the end of July.
The staff want to be paid at the correct rates for the jobs they're doing but the local authority has so far refused.
UNISON says the workers have reluctantly taken the decision to strike from just after in the early hours of Wednesday morning to just before midnight on Friday night.
The staff involved conduct social care assessments for adults, and arrange and review care packages for people with additional needs. This includes older people and those with physical or learning disabilities, and mental health issues.
Social worker shortages country-wide and increasing demand across the county means their roles have expanded significantly over the past decade, says UNISON.
The union says support staff frequently find themselves being used in place of social workers, but without receiving any more pay.
Because of the shortages, support workers now regularly undertake far more complex tasks than previously. These include supporting survivors of domestic abuse, victims of sexual exploitation, and people going through periods of serious self-neglect, says UNISON.
The dispute has arisen because the staff are employed on grade 6 of the council's salary scale but believe they should be on the next grade up because of the challenging work they undertake. Grade 6 staff are paid up to £4,200 a year less than those on the higher grade 7, says UNISON.
UNISON North West regional organiser James Rupa said: "Lancashire County Council has long relied on social care support officers to deliver essential services beyond their pay grade, exploiting their expertise at a low cost.
"Despite requests for fair regrading, the council continues to ignore their concerns, leading frustrated staff to leave for better pay and prompting those who remain to take action.
"Persistent issues with recruitment and a 22% vacancy rate in adult social care could severely impact Lancashire’s most vulnerable residents. These workers will continue their campaign until the council addresses these critical challenges."