Social care staff go back on strike over ‘doing social work tasks without extra pay’

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Social care staff are going back on strike over being asked to carry out what they see as social work tasks without commensurate pay.

The approximately 200 practitioners, represented by UNISON, staged a walkout over four days last month in their dispute with Lancashire council.

They will now stage another strike from Friday (9 August) until Tuesday (13 August), in pursuit of their objective of having their roles regraded, something they first raised two years ago.

Their roles involve carrying out assessments and arranging and reviewing care packages for adults in the county.

‘From assisting to replacing social workers’

According to UNISON, their caseloads have grown more complex in response to social worker shortages, requiring them to support survivors of domestic abuse, victims of sexual exploitation and people going through periods of serious self-neglect.

They are employed on grade 6 of the council’s salary scale but believe they should be on grade 7 – where staff are paid up to £4,200 more per year – because of the nature of their responsibilities.

Social care support worker Tracey said: “After years of being taken advantage of, my colleagues and I are now expected to perform tasks once reserved for much better-paid social workers. We used to assist social workers but now we’re expected to replace them.”

‘Frustrated’ staff feel ‘compelled’ to strike

UNISON North West regional organiser James Rupa said: “The council has taken advantage of their expertise and good nature, effectively obtaining social work services on the cheap.

“Rather than addressing the workers’ fair request for a role regrading, the council continues to ignore their concerns. Frustrated staff are leaving for better-paid positions, and those who remain feel compelled to take action.”

In response, a council spokesperson said the strike was “discontinuous”, meaning it would be unlikely to cover all five days but that staff could take action on any of these days.

Council ‘seeking to reach positive resolution’

The spokesperson added: “Robust contingency arrangements are in place to ensure business continuity and to ensure that Lancashire residents are not adversely affected should strike action occur.

“We had started an appeals process linked to the regrading applications from a group of our social care support officers (SCSOs) in which SCSOs and the trade union have been fully involved. However, the trade union, alongside the SCSOs’ organising committee, has taken the decision to suspend their involvement with the appeals process.

“The county council is committed to the appeals process and are continuing to work with our staff and the trade union to reach a positive resolution to the ongoing dispute.”