Home Carers’ Unions Hit Out Over Council Move

Union officials representing home carers angrily claimed yesterday that they had not been informed about plans by Highland Council to tender for extra privately-employed workers.

The authority has confirmed that as part of a “modernisation” programme it aims to launch a tendering process in November.

Shirley Christie of the Unison union said: “We are deeply concerned that this information is being discussed without being brought to the trade unions first.

“We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the director and we would be very much against the selling of the contracts.”

Housing and social work chairwoman Margaret Davidson said that discussions with the unions about the modernisation process had been going on for some time.

She said: “It’s not privatisation. We’ll just be buying more home care from the private sector. But we’re also increasing our own section.

“The situation at the moment is that about £8million is spent on home care services. We already use the private sector for some of that – about £1million. We’re going to be increasing the size of our own workforce by at least 50%.”

A council-employed carer and union member who wished to remain anonymous for fear of dismissal, yesterday condemned what she considered the “waste” of public money in administrative costs surrounding new contracts being implemented as part of the process, arguing that the time and money involved would have been better spent providing care.

She estimated that more than 1,000 hours were spent interviewing the 685 staff for their own jobs as part of the shake-up the council claims will result in an improved and more cost-efficient service.

She said: “How can they justify this when we are desperately requiring extra time to give towards personal care of some of our very vulnerable clients?”

She conceded that some elements of the reforms such as guaranteed working hours would benefit many staff, but claimed promises about conditions and equal pay had previously been broken, and that she believed older staff would be “phased out” as part of the process.

SNP councillor and opposition social services spokeswoman Liz MacDonald said: “It does seem like it’s all going into the private sector. I’m not surprised if staff feel like that.”

According to council figures, only 71% of its home care staff have so far signed up to the new 37-hour-week contracts.

As of March this year, the council was delivering 9,851 hours of care to 1,789 people over the age of 65.