Renfrewshire Council leader makes commitment to UNISON Ethical Care Charter

Monday 17 March 2014

Renfrewshire Council are leading the way in the commissioning of homecare services with the Leader of the Council committing to supporting the UNISON Ethical Care Charter on World Social Work Day (tomorrow, Tuesday 18 March 2014) .

The Charter sets minimum standards to protect the dignity and quality of life for people who need homecare. It commits councils to buying homecare only from providers who give workers enough time, training and a living wage, so they can provide better quality care for thousands of service users who rely on it.

Mark Ferguson, Branch Secretary of Renfrewshire UNISON and Chair of UNISON’s Scottish Local Government Committee, said:

“UNISON members working in Renfrewshire Council are proud that their council is leading by example, committing to our Charter that tackles the problems with homecare contracts head on.  Making this commitment to decent employment conditions for care workers is all about improving the quality of life for the people they care for. A living wage, more secure employment and time to care will help make it possible for dedicated care workers to stay in the job and focus on giving the best possible care."

Renfrewshire Council Leader Councillor Mark Macmillan said:
"I am delighted to be able to support UNISON's Ethical Homecare Charter. Home carers do a vital job helping older and vulnerable residents live with dignity and independence in their own home. We believe clients benefit from a higher quality of care when properly rewarded home carers take pride in the work they do. Renfrewshire Council pays its own home care workers the living wage and we successfully negotiated with employers in the private sector to pay their 300 staff the living wage too.”

Dave Watson UNISON Scotland Head of Bargaining and Campaigns said:

‘UNISON Scotland congratulates Renfrewshire Council and the hard work of UNISON members. It is a real example how unions work in partnership with councils to make sure we really deliver for those we care for. It’s also a positive response to the issues raised by care staff in our recent ‘Scotland – It’s Time to care’ report”.

Ethical Care Councils pledge to commission care only from providers who:

• Give workers the freedom to provide appropriate care and be given the time to talk to their clients.
• Allocate clients the same homecare worker(s) wherever possible.
• Do not use zero hour contracts.
• Pay the Living Wage (£7.65 per hour)
• Pay homecare workers for their travel time, their travel costs and other necessary expenses such as mobile phone use.
• Schedule visits so that homecare workers are not forced to rush their time with clients or leave their clients early to get to the next one on time.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. Cllr. Macmillan will indicate his support for the Ethical Care Charter at 10am on Tuesday 18 March - World Social Work Day - at UNISON Office, Sir James Clark Building, Business Centre, Seedhill, PAISLEY PA1 1TJ

2. The Charter was developed following UNISON's UK 'Time to Care' report in 2012 can be read; http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/ socialwork/Final%20Ethical%20Care%20Charter%20PDF.pdf

3. The concerns of care staff in Scotland are set out in, ‘Scotland – It’s Time to Care’ http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/socialwork/timetocare.pdf

Sackings threat as leisure charity hires private contractor

Date: Wednesday 13 January 2010

 Ex-council leisure centre staff are being threatened with dismissal unless they sign-up to a range of detrimental working conditions, Scotland's public service union, UNISON, said today.

The union - who represent a large majority of the permanent staff of Renfrewshire Leisure Ltd. - the trust who run ex-council leisure centres - say they have been told that the company will cease negotiating immediately and issue staff with an ultimatum -sign up to new conditions or face the sack.

UNISON have been negotiating with Renfrewshire Leisure Ltd to try and reach agreement on new working conditions, as part of an attempt to end discriminatory pay by the company. The union has told the company that legal advice they have received makes it clear that the company proposals continue unequal pay systems and are discriminatory. In addition the company wishes to cut back on overtime rates and reduce the number of fixed public holidays.

Mark Ferguson, UNISON Renfrewshire Branch Secretary said "I am disappointed that Renfrewshire Leisure are choosing to ignore the sound legal advice UNISON has received, and want to walk away from negotiation, preferring instead to try to bully their staff into accepting a detrimental and discriminatory package of changes. This has left our members with no option but to consider Industrial action, a decision that is not taken lightly."

"Renfrewshire Leisure have recently contracted a private personnel firm to give them advice, a service which was previously provided by Renfrewshire Council. This and the attempts to bully staff suggests a further attempt is being made to move away from the original concept of a charitable trust and operate public services as a private business. "UNISON has found that this is commonly what happens when public services are hived off to charitable trusts."

ENDS


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