The First Minister Humza Yousaf was in Craigmillar on Wednesday morning to speak to people who work for and who receive care for themselves or their relatives from Thistle Foundation.
Part of the purpose of the visit was to pledge an increase to £12 an hour for private and voluntary sector staff working in social care and childcare.
Thistle is a charity which offers one-to-one support, wellbeing courses, community groups and supported physical activity to people with a range of life challenges.
The First Minister was accompanied on the visit by Health Secretary Michael Matheson MSP, and both listened to the very personal stories which people shared in small groups sitting in the atrium of the beautiful Thistle building.
The salary uplift could mean an increase of around £2,000 for some staff in April 2024, but Thistle Foundation Chief Executive Mark Hoolahan said that he supports the demand for this to be backdated to April 2023. Mr Hoolahan referred to the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland and their 4 Steps to Fair Work Campaign. He explained that one of the four demands is for a minimum of £12 per hour from 1 April 2023.
The other demands are to ensure equal pay for equal work, to value all staff who play their part and for the government to give them hope of equality.
The Scottish Government is working along with COSLA and local authorities on this commitment and will report back in “the coming months” on the pledge which is based on paying the real Living Wage.
The First Minister said: “Up to 100,000 workers will benefit from this policy. They fulfil a vital role in society, and we are immensely grateful for the contribution they make. Pay and conditions are of great importance in the wellbeing and retention of the social care workforce, and that is why we are committing to make sure staff in these vital services are paid at least £12 per hour.
“Four out of five people who will benefit from this uplift in pay are female. Increasing pay not only helps the workforce in question, but will also help achieve our wider priorities on child poverty, fair work, and post-Covid recovery in the health and care sector.”
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