Pay uplift for social workers still unclear after public sector pay announcement

BASW continues to advocate for good working conditions for social workers including good pay, and support colleagues in wider social care in their urgent calls for funding for pay and services.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that 900,000 public sector workers are to get an above inflation pay rise.

This will bring some recognition for the important role of many public sector key workers during the Covid pandemic – but will not restore real terms pay to the level before 2010.

We will be seeking to ensure social workers in agencies such as the NHS covered by today’s announcements will benefit from any agreed pay increases.  

Social workers in local authorities in England and Wales have pay deal negotiations and consultation underway as part of whole workforce collective bargaining. The outcome is due in the next few months.

Social workers working in all settings deserve recognition for their vital role, whether in the public, not for profit or private sectors.  A significant number are not employed by local authorities, but are providing essential services during the pandemic and beyond.  All social workers deserve a pay rise at least on a par with colleagues in other public professions.

Wider social care colleagues

It is also not clear how the poor pay of social care colleagues, who are employed by thousands of agencies mostly outside the public sector, will be addressed in this pay round - despite their terrible experiences to date in the pandemic and growing public recognition of how much we rely on this under resourced, under-valued, skilled and vital workforce.

BASW with the Social Workers Union continues to advocate for good working conditions for social workers including good pay, and we support colleagues in wider social care in their urgent calls for sustainable funding for pay and services.