Care workers in strike threat

A new “winter of discontent” has edged closer as it emerged that thousands of care workers, catering staff and school janitors have taken the first steps towards a possible wave of industrial action by the end of the year.

Almost 5000 staff employed by the Glasgow City Council-owned firm operating care services have received letters in recent days urging them to reject a pay deal of 0.65%.

With the Cordia workers expected to formally dismiss the offer next month, all-out action is looming, which could cripple core services to the vulnerable and elderly throughout the winter. It could also see a raft of school closures in the nation’s largest city.

Because of its status, Cordia is not bound by national agreements for council workers, who have had the same offer and are set to reject it, making nationwide strikes possible.

However the Cordia offer has the added sting of a loss of treble pay on around six public holidays.

Unions representing the staff at Cordia claim that the round-the-clock, all-year-round nature of the service means that many workers rely on overtime payments.

They have also told The Herald that management has said the offer will be imposed, even if it is rejected by the staff.

Cordia insists it can only operate within the confines of its tight budgets, and that it has being guided by efforts to avoid redundancies.

The organisation also claims none of its senior management team is taking any pay rise.

The GMB union is also taking legal advice on any ‘imposition’ of a deal, claiming it amounts to a breach of contract, while also accusing management of taking advantage of the predominantly female staff’s loyalty to clients.

Tension between Cordia management and its staff and their representatives comes just days ahead of Chancellor George Osborne’s spending announcement, with the budget for Scotland expected to be dramatically reduced.

Although it will be at least a month before it is officially known how this will impact north of the border, the public sector is bracing itself for unprecedented cuts, a move expected to fuel militancy within workforces and the trade union movement.

Cordia is the largest of Glasgow City Council’s hived-off “arm’s length” companies and encompasses everything from school meals through to home help services for thousands of elderly and vulnerable clients.

Although it has not been affected by any major strikes in its short existence, Glasgow Life, previously Culture and Sport Glasgow, has been rocked by a series of disputes throughout this year.

The disputes have largely centred on the loss of overtime payments.

The ballot on whether to accept or reject the pay offer closes in early November.

Alex McLuckie, regional organiser for the GMB, said: “This is the tip of the iceberg. Cordia has serious problems with its budgets, particularly around the social work and care aspects of what it does.

“Management are calculating that the staff will live with this because they don’t want any impact felt by their clients.

“They are being taken for granted. But the time is fast approaching when they say enough is enough.

“If our members are solid in their resolve, then we can show that this deal will not be imposed on them.”

Cordia managing director Fergus Chambers said: “This is a favourable wage award in a very challenging economic environment. It protects jobs at Cordia and offers a wage increase to the contracts of all staff.

“I would ask all staff to continue their support for changes in working practices and increased efficiencies, which will continue now and into the future and help us to continue to protect employment.”