In the debate on Stage 3 Proceedings for the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Neil Findlay MSP spoke to a proposed amendment regarding social care. In describing examples whereby staff are paid below the Living Wage, he described adverts on the Scottish Care website for care posts advertised at below this rate.
This is completely untrue. Scottish Care has never advertised posts for care workers on our website. As a membership body and not a care provider, it is not our position to do so.
In relation to Mr Findlay’s wider point regarding who receives the Living Wage in a care setting, Scottish Care has campaigned for many years for the extension of the Living Wage to all who work in care homes and other parts of the sector. Scottish Care and our members recognise that all workers in a care setting – regardless of whether they provide direct care or not – are critical to quality care provision whether they are supporting direct care, cleanliness, nutrition or any other role and should be valued and remunerated to Living Wage level as an absolute minimum. This has been resisted repeatedly by both national and local government. We would welcome moves to change this.
The Living Wage is one part of a wider Fair Work agenda which aims to improve pay, terms and conditions for social care staff. As a member of the Fair Work in Social Care Group, Scottish Care will continue to progress these matters with Scottish Government and other stakeholders.
Fair Work in Scotland’s Social Care Sector 2019 report: https://www.fairworkconvention.scot/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Fair-Work-in-Scotland’s-Social-Care-Sector-2019.pdf
