Scotland: Fair Pay in Social Care

Archbishop Nolan (right) and Dr Greenshields with the Declaration

Source: Justice and Peace Scotland

On Thursday 11 May, Scottish Faith Leaders met with providers of social care in Scotland at Conforti Institute to hear first-hand about the crisis in social care in Scotland.

The Scottish Faith Leaders Declaration on Low Pay in Social Care was signed by Archbishop Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow and President of Justice & Peace Scotland, and Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

We warmly encourage our bishops, clergy and all ordained to add their names and support to the Scottish Faith Leaders' call for justice, dignity and respect to be shown to both those we care for and those in caring roles in the community. The declaration will be presented to the Scottish Government in the coming weeks.

Scottish Faith Leaders Declaration on Fair Pay in the Social Care Sector

'We believe in the importance of human dignity. We honour those people who serve, care for and support others so that this dignity can be respected and that all may have fullness of life. We thank them for their time, hard work and compassion.

We believe in fairness and justice and believe that all staff working in social care in Scotland today should be paid fairly for this fundamentally important work. We recognise the challenges today facing social care staff and providers, following the difficult years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the current challenges with recruitment.

We call on church and faith communities to encourage and support advocacy and fundraising for better social care in Scotland. We recognise the recent commitment made to the Adult Care Workforce but call on the Scottish Government to do everything within its power to ensure all frontline social care workers be paid a minimum of £12 per hour immediately. Also, that the appropriate funding is made available which allows all social care staff to be recognised for their skills, experience and contributions, in whichever role they serve.

The declaration is now open for signatures by all faith leaders on website www.justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk/Fair-Pay

Watch this short video to know more about this campaign https://youtu.be/NfO4SoGBYmc