Question reference: S5W-34248
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 23 December 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 January 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to promote the growth of trade union membership in the care home sector.
Answer
While employment law remains reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government is using its Fair Work policy to drive fairer work practices across Scotland's labour market.
One of the initial priorities for the Fair Work in Social Care Group has been to examine ways to enhance fair work for the social care workforce, using the recommendations of the Fair Work Convention (FWC) report on social care as a starting point.
Social care provider organisations and Trade Unions are represented on the Fair Work in Social Care Group and they are working together to develop advice on taking forward FWC recommendations. This includes consideration of how best to ensure that social care workers have an effective voice and the development of a collective bargaining role in the sector.
The conclusions of the Fair Work in Social Care Group are currently being developed and will be finalised following the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, which will report at the end of January. The Independent Review is considering what changes are needed to improve support for people who use adult social care support, their families, their carers and the workforce. As part of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care’s extensive engagement process, Derek Feeley, the Chair of the Review, has met with trade union representatives on a monthly basis and has also attended member meetings of GMB, Unite and Unison to hear about workers’ experiences first-hand.
The Scottish Government is committed to using the recommendations from the Independent Review of Adult Social Care made at the end of January to inform our plans for longstanding, sustainable improvements to adult social care and to ensure that workers in care homes and the wider social care sector are better supported.