Scottish Social Care Staff Announce Strike Over Pay Concerns
Care workers at one of Scotland’s largest social care charities are set to begin strike action over what they describe as continued underfunding and a lack of meaningful government support.
Staff employed by Enable Scotland, a prominent third-sector provider supporting individuals with learning disabilities, will walk out over five days in a coordinated campaign for fairer pay.
The action, led by UNISON Scotland, follows a ballot in which 93% of participating members voted in favour of industrial action.
The strike will roll out across multiple areas of the country, starting in East Renfrewshire on 29 May and concluding in Edinburgh and Glasgow on 12 June.
UNISON has stated that this represents the first coordinated national strike by care workers in over a decade, driven by long-standing grievances around pay and what it views as repeated failures by the Scottish Government to address the funding crisis in the sector.
According to the union, frontline care staff have waited years for reform and improved investment, only to see little material change.
Unison Scotland regional organiser Jennifer McCarey said: “Strike action is always a last resort. But unions representing care workers have been working with the Scottish Government for several years on a plan for social care. But not a single promise made by ministers has been kept. In fact, care workers’ pay has got worse.
“The care sector is in crisis, and that responsibility lies squarely with the Scottish Government. Until care workers are properly valued and paid fairly, the sector will never have the care workers it needs.
“Ministers must fund charitable care properly and act to resolve this issue.”
Enable Scotland has acknowledged the industrial action and stressed that it is working collaboratively with the union to protect the individuals who rely on its services.
The charity, however, emphasised that its ability to increase pay above the real Living Wage is constrained by limited government and local authority funding.
Social care minister Maree Todd said: “We value the vital role social care workers play in delivering high-quality care.
“Pay negotiations are a matter for trade unions and employers and I urge both parties to continue to work together to reach an agreement which is fair for the workforce and affordable for Enable.
“Our 2025-26 Scottish Budget provides an additional £125 million to enable adult social care workers, delivering direct care in commissioned services, to be paid at least the real living wage of £12.60 an hour. This takes our total investment in improving social care pay to £950 million.”
