THERE are fears homeless people are not getting assessed for housing as an ongoing strike approaches its eighth week.

 

Seventy workers are off work indefinitely in a row over pay grades for homeless case workers at Glasgow City Council.

A UNISON rally outside the city chambers yesterday - to coincide with a full council meeting - heard how around three times fewer bids for accommodation were being received by homeless workers at Glasgow Housing Association.

Glasgow housing worker Kim McLachlan, of GHA, told a crowd waving banners, balloons and placards they had seen a substantial drop in the number of bids from homeless people for homes.

She said: "That doesn't mean less homeless people, it means less are being assessed.

"It's having an effect and shows the importance of the workers' roles."

She told the Evening Times that, at its worst, they had seen bids drop from around 108 to 32.

She explained: "They have to be assessed in order to bid for these homes.

"There are fewer bids going in so there are fewer people being assessed. There hasn't been a 70% drop in homelessness in Glasgow!"

She said there were fears about what was happening to the homeless as they were not being channelled through the system as quickly.

She added: "They could be sleeping on a couch or in a doorway. We don't know.

"Some of these workers have been working with the homeless for 30 years. There's a lot of commitment there. The way they have been treated is absolutely appalling."

UNISON shop steward Shirley Young said: "We have got a lot of support. We are going to win because we are going to keep going. We are not going to break. We deserve fair pay. We are not greedy, we only want what we deserve, nothing more."

The homelessness case workers argue that they do a job equivalent to case workers in other departments who are on a higher pay grade, taking home £5,000 a year more.

Unison convenor Ian Leech said the support for the strike - which was backed by 84 per cent of members in the official ballot - was strong.

He said the situation dated back to 2007 when the workers were assessed as grade 5 but said the job had changed since then.

SNP councillor Malcolm Balfour said his party was "100% behind the workers."

He asked the council meeting what steps were being taken to resolve the dispute.

Speaking beforehand, he said: "The workers have a right to this pay upgrade.

"I'm worried about the effect this is having on the homeless. I'm concerned about the cost of putting people in hotels [because they're not getting into homes]. There are reports of one being used in East Kilbride. What's that costing the council?"

The council and union are meeting again to discuss the situation next week.

A council spokesman said: "It has been disappointing that Unison has resorted to industrial action but we have always remained open to talks with those on strike and we look forward to a constructive dialogue with them .

“Our contingency plan continues to keep disruption to a minimum for this service for vulnerable people.

“We are meeting our statutory obligations to people who present as homeless.

“Unison’s case for homelessness staff to be re-graded at a higher level was reviewed on three separate occasions by the council and each time the case was dismissed.

“Casework staff are graded at an appropriate level as they work to arrange accommodation for individuals while detailed care assessments are undertaken by other social work staff.”