Glasgow daycare staff to ballot for strike action

Adult daycare staff in Glasgow are balloting to take strike action as the centres they work in face closure.

Adults with learning difficulties face losing five out of ten of their daycare centres in the Glasgow area as part of a health and social work plan to redesign the service.

Some 1,600 service users could be affected.

The loss of the centres would also have a huge impact on carers, who are angry at not being consulted.

Workers have begun voting in a ballot over the downgrading of wages as part of the work, pay and benefits review which resulted from single status agreements across Britain.

Some workers stand to lose between £3,000 and £6,000 a year as a result of this.

At workplace meetings held last week daycare workers expressed overwhelming support for action and the need to stand with carers to defend the future of the service.

Carers have already written to all elected members of Glasgow city council and MSPs.

They have received emails from councillors indicating support and in some cases surprise at the plans.

The carers’ letter they stated their opposition to any cuts in services and asked does “modernisation in services really mean cuts?”

Carers have said that they will unite behind dayservice workers if they do take action.

Recent union and community action in Edinburgh over school closures has shown that joint campaigns between workers, and service users can win.

The ballot result will be announced on Thursday of next week.