Glasgow homelessness workers: Eight weeks on strike and as determined as ever to win
From Matt Dobson in Glasgow
The all-out indefinite strike for fair pay and grading by 70 Glasgow homelessness caseworkers is now in its eighth week. The highly organised and effective strike has brought the Labour council back to the negotiating table. A meeting with union representatives will take place on 20th May.
At the last meeting on April 24th management arrogantly dismissed the strikers demands. The homeless caseworkers are £5,000 underpaid for the level of work they carry out compared to other frontline staff in addiction services or older people’s teams. But the council made no commitment to resolve this, only offering an eight week review if the strikers went back to work.
The Socialist spoke to Chris, a Unison steward from the North East team; “The council have been forced by the strike being effective, and the breaking down of every part of the homelessness service, to negotiate with the union. They need to offer something real, not like last time, for us to consider this time though. The support we are getting from other council staff is keeping us going” There are now questions about the viability of management running the four main workplaces from which the caseworkers operate. This is due to the pressure on the service, with rumours that two offices may be closed in the coming week.
Already in the North East office, management had to put up notices saying the office was closed at 3:30pm due to industrial action. Management denied this in the press claiming the service is business as usual, despite pictures of the notices being taken by service users.
Kim McLachlan of Glasgow Housing Association Unison spoke at a recent strike rally and reported that three times fewer bids for accommodation were being received by homeless workers at GHA. There are not less homeless people in Glasgow, but less are being assessed due to the effectiveness of the council homeless caseworkers action.
While the council have refused to negotiate with the strikers the consequences for the homeless and most vulnerable have been severe. Notices have been put up at offices telling people to go elsewhere unless they are an emergency case, despite this breaking the legal requirement that the council have to provide support.
There are also reports the council are paying out for B and B’s and hotels to serve as temporary accommodation. And that there is a log-jam of service users in temporary accommodation who can’t be assessed for permanent housing. Large loud pickets have been maintained daily, as have weekly rallies outside the council by the strikers and their supporters.
Solidarity from Dundee
On Thursday 14th May 40 striking hospital porters from Dundee, also on all out strike for regrading and fair pay, visited the homeless case workers. At a meeting of over 100 strikers from both disputes Ian Leech, Glasgow City Unison Social Work Convenor and Socialist Party Scotland member, made the point that “less than 200 strikers in the two of these disputes have had a massive impact, imagine if the trade union leaders co-ordinated national action we could push back the pay freeze and austerity cuts” The hospital porters union branch donated £500 to the homeless case workers strike fund at the meeting.
Strikers then marched on the council chanting together “fair pay now!” and shared songs from the picket lines to drown out the councils meeting.
Brian Smith, Glasgow Unison branch secretary, spoke at the rally thanking the porters for their support for the homeless caseworkers strike and called on the SNP, who have control over the NHS management, to immediately resolve the strike at Ninewells and Royal Victoria hospitals.
Hundreds of pounds is collected daily from the public passing pickets in Glasgow and also from collections from fellow council workers at social work offices. £3,000 has come in from the local Glasgow Housing Association Branch and £5,000 from Glasgow NHS Unison branch.
Strikers also spoke at the TUSC pre election rally on May 5th and Socialist Party Scotland and TUSC supporters have consistently supported the daily pickets.
Please send messages of support, donations and requests for speakers for union branches and events to:
enquiries@glasgowcityunison.co.uk; Cheques to Glasgow City Unison 84 Bell Street, Glasgow G1 1LQ
Facebook: Glasgow Homeless Caseworkers strike
