Emergency Motion 4
Missing Millions
‘"That this Congress notes the discovery recently that the £38 million allocated and ringfenced to raise the T&Cs of care workers vanished from the Scottish Government Budget for 2024-25.
"This money was pulled from the Fair Work in Social Care T&Cs workstream in September 2023 without consultation with workstream members, employers and councils. This was confirmed via a Freedom of Information request to Scottish Government.
"Congress condemns this betrayal of the Scottish Government commitment five years ago to implement Fair Work in Social Care recommendations:
- This £38 million budget was secured by the Fair Work Terms and Conditions workstream to improve sick pay, maternity and paternity pay of care workers.
- Withdrawal means thousands of care workers will continue to receive only statutory sick pay, paternity, and maternity pay.
- The Covid sick pay scheme was removed in May 2023 but healthcare-associated infections are still with us, and many care worker are without pay if they are unwell.
- It is a scandal that there is no budget to deliver Fair Work terms & conditions
‘’Congress shares the anger of social care workers and supports their campaign for the Missing Millions to be returned.
‘‘Congress calls on the General Council to put pressure on Scottish Government to:
- Restore the ‘Missing Millions’ by providing Fair Work funding for 2023 & 2024 to deliver improved pay and conditions.
- Explain the withdrawal of investment committed to Fair Work workstreams.
- Commit to delivering a timescale and funds for sectoral bargaining.
- Deliver £15ph for care workers now.
‘‘Congress further calls on the General Council to:
- rally support for the ‘Demand the Missing Millions’ protest organised outside Scottish Parliament on 25 April.
- ask all MSPs to back the call for the Missing Millions to be restored and to establish sectoral bargaining."
Mover: UNISON
Seconder: UNITE
Supporter: GMB
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