Glasgow caseworkers force council to retreat but stay united until all are regraded

Matt Dobson reports

The all-out indefinite strike by Glasgow’s Homeless Caseworkers for fair pay – now in its tenth week – has pushed an anti-union Labour council management to concede the principal that Homeless Caseworkers should be on PCS 5 (pay grade 6).

However the regrade offered by the council last week would only cover two thirds of the strikers. Socialist Party Scotland supported the argument that this current offer should be rejected and the strike should continue. This offer was unanimously rejected by a meeting of strikers today.

Management have been pushed back from their original position, which was that the caseworkers had no case for a regrade.The council made their first real offer on 29th May. Management rushed to put this offer together. Just last week they originally said there would be nothing on the table until the end of June.

This achievement has been due to the strike remaining absolutely solid due to the fantastic commitment of all strikers and the leadership of the union branch. The impact on the homelesss service and the political pressure exerted by calling for all payments to the Labour party to be suspended has pushed the council into this retreat.

Strikers need to stay strong and united.The all-out strike has unified all the work-places and the caseworkers and this is the strength that is forcing the council to come to the table with an offer.

With this offer the council are testing the resolve of the strike.The best way to respond to the test is to continue keeping the strike solid with full participation at the daily pickets, meetings with other social work staff and lobbying of councillors to demand all workers are regraded.