UNISON members attending national delegate conference poured onto the streets of Glasgow last night in support of 70 homeless case workers who have been on strike for 12 weeks.
The workers, all based in Glasgow, assess the housing needs of the city’s most vulnerable, supporting them to access emergency, temporary and permanent accommodation.
They are on strike because others doing similar work in the council are on a higher band and receive around £5,000 more than them, and while their jobs have grown their pay has not been reassessed since 2007.
Mary Doherty, one of the strikers said: “Most of us are women, and lots of us are single parents so it was a massive decision to go on strike. But we think we’re right. That’s why we’ve done it, it’s really important to us.
“There are 800 people sleeping rough in Glasgow, homelessness is a big problem and the council aren’t listening to the workers when we say it. It really worries me.
“Council officials did agree to re-grade staff but at a cost of a third of staff losing their jobs.”
Striker Stuart Graham, addressing the crowds in George Square, said: “If the offer is not for everyone, we’re not taking it. The message of this demonstration and this conference is ‘no-one will be left behind’.”
