A long-standing equal pay claim in Glasgow has led to the local authority announcing plans for a rationalisation of pay and job roles as part of a new pay deal for the City. This deal will negatively impact some of our members and their colleagues in social work roles.
Key points
- Social work is in a single local authority job family, which does not recognise the profession’s unique responsibilities, risks and statutory duties.
- This deal will destabilise social work in Glasgow and undermine leadership and management roles, creating new risks for vulnerable people at a time of intense pressure on services.
- The undervaluing of social work is a national structural issue, not limited to Glasgow, and reflects long-standing problems in how councils recognise and support the profession.
- CoSLA and the Scottish Government must now work with the profession to deliver fair, sustainable national terms and conditions through One Deal for Social Work.
We recognise the need for Glasgow City Council to implement large-scale pay changes, and we fully support action to rectify historic pay injustices.
There are, however, serious concerns about the way these changes are being taken forward. The inclusion of social work within a single local authority job family means the profession is not properly recognised or understood. Social work carries distinct responsibilities, statutory duties and levels of risk that cannot be captured within a generic job family structure.
It is unacceptable that Team Leaders, Managers and other skilled and dedicated social work professionals are facing significant pay cuts at a time when they have never held more risk, in teams already affected by vacancies, burnout, staff churn and increasingly challenging national agendas for change.
We acknowledge the Accounts Commission report, which warns that failure to act would pose a risk to services. But we are equally clear that this plan, implemented in its current form and applied to these roles, will also create risk. If imposed unchanged, it will significantly increase the likelihood of a serious failure in adult support, children’s services or Justice Social Work.
Social work is a unique profession, providing a unique public service. Our members and their colleagues deserve to know that their often-challenging work is valued and their roles fairly remunerated. These changes most acutely affect the sustainability of leadership and management positions. Thriving teams require every role to be supported and valued.
Our members should be able to trust that their pay and conditions are not at the mercy of irregularities in council finances or political tensions between national and local government. 82% of social workers in Scotland are women. Correcting one pay injustice against women should not create another. Our campaign for national terms and conditions, One Deal for Social Work, will put social workers on a par with other comparable professionals. This will create the working environment needed for better practice, improved outcomes and value for the public. CoSLA and the Scottish Government must now work together to put social work on a sustainable path forward. The status quo is unacceptable to our members and their colleagues.
We are jointly raising these issues with Glasgow City Council, CoSLA and the Scottish Government. Our focus remains supporting our members who are adversely affected. If you need advice, representation or any form of support, please get in touch.