Scotland’s care workers to get Living Wage


The Scottish government has proposed a deal with local councils to ensure that all care workers are paid at least the voluntary Living Wage from April this year. 


Scottish finance secretary John Swinney wrote to the country’s 32 council leaders at the beginning of February proposing the deal as part of the local government finance settlement for 2016-17.


Councils would be able to commission adult social care on the basis that care workers were paid the voluntary Living Wage figure of £8.25 an hour.


First minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the funding available in the budget would enable this to be achieved and would “help improve the incomes of these absolutely crucial workers,” most of who are women. 


The move received a cautious welcome from GMB Scotland, which represents members in the sector. 


Regional officer Alex McLuckie said that, while the move would “be welcomed by GMB members working in the private care sector”, the union wanted to “see more of the detail”. The move needed to be “properly funded” and not “taken out of the already reduced budgets being imposed on local councils by the Scottish government,” McLuckie said. 


www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/scotland-care-workers