Glasgow equal pay dispute threatens social workers’ income

Practitioners likely to be among one in ten affected by £770 million ‘rationalisation’ plans
Glasgow council building
Image: CLT Smith

An equal pay dispute similar to the one that bankrupted Birmingham City Council is threatening social work pay in Glasgow.

More than ten per cent of staff across Glasgow City Council will lose out because of “rationalisation” due to the size of the £770 million equal pay claim.

In 2017 the authority was judged to have failed to provide evidence that a previous workforce review was "valid, objective, analytical and capable of consistent application". 

This meant the council did not have an automatic defence against equal pay claims brought by employees.

A new pay and grading system has now been announced.

However, the Scottish Association of Social Work and the Social Workers Union point out that 82 per cent of social workers in Scotland are women, and “correcting one pay injustice against women should not create another”.

The union believes that the pay deal will “destabilise” social work in Glasgow and risks “undermining leadership and management” roles, with a direct potential impact on vulnerable people.

The joint statement reads: “It is unacceptable that team leaders, managers and other skilled and dedicated social work professionals are facing significant pay cuts at a time when they have never held more risk, in teams already affected by vacancies, burnout, staff churn and increasingly challenging national agendas for change. 

“This plan… will significantly increase the likelihood of a serious failure in adult support, children’s services or justice social work. 

“Our members should be able to trust that their pay and conditions are not at the mercy of irregularities in council finances or political tensions between national and local government.”

UNISON, GMB and Unite say the pay deal will lead to "substantial financial detriment" for "a significant number of employees", with "unacceptable" losses for some.

Glasgow City Council said: “Glasgow City Council’s current pay and grading scheme is discriminatory – it does not always reward equal work with equal pay.

“We need to replace it with a new scheme and last month we agreed we would do so in April 2027. When we do so, over 85 per cent of our employees whose posts have been evaluated will see their pay increase. 

“Although a minority of around 11 per cent will face a loss, we recognise the impact that will have and have committed to protecting their pay until April 2028. 

“Where staff are in detriment, the council is also committed to exploring any mitigation that is possible without compromising the integrity of the scheme – including service reform.”

SASW and SWU believe the undervaluing of social work is a national structural issue, not limited to Glasgow, and reflects long-standing problems in how councils recognise and support the profession. 

Both bodies are now calling on CoSLA and the Scottish Government to work with the profession to deliver fair, sustainable national terms and conditions through the One Deal for Social Work.