Adult social work staff working for Isle of Wight Council won’t undertake on-call standby shifts after their employer proposed forcing them on to a mandatory rather than voluntary rota, says UNISON.
Employees on standby are required to respond to emergency situations over the telephone or in-person outside working hours. Although this has always had an impact on their work-life balance – plus their family, care, and social commitments – staff found a consensus between them to ensure there was 24-hour cover, says the union.
However, moves to impose a new compulsory scheme on the 90 affected staff have caused anger. Social workers have already agreed overwhelmingly to take industrial action, and the initial withdrawal of goodwill on standby shifts could develop into a strike, UNISON says.
UNISON South East regional organiser James Smith said: “This dispute could be resolved speedily. But it requires managers to halt their current proposals and involve staff in developing a workable alternative.
“Unfortunately, the council’s combative stance has made an issue that could have been resolved through agreement much more challenging.
“A long-term solution can be found, but pressing ahead with these plans could endanger the stability of this vital service.”
UNISON Isle of Wight local government branch secretary Mark Chiverton said: “This is an award-winning social work team that’s always worked extremely hard to ensure Isle of Wight residents are provided with an excellent service seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
“They’ve achieved that through consensus and working with the council. That’s what makes these new proposals so disappointing.
“We’ve seen how successful constructive talks can be in avoiding disputes. Staff are happy to consider alternatives, but only if there’s an agreement that works for social workers.”
Notes to editors:
– Action short of strike action began at midnight on 1 April 2024.
– The Isle of Wight Council’s adult social care team provides a range of services to adults of all ages including assessment and treatments to adults with mental health problems, learning disabilities and complex needs; conducting safeguarding reviews; and delivering initiatives preventing abuse and neglect of adults.
– Isle of Wight Council’s adult social care team recently won gold at the iESE Transformation awards for Transformation in Health and Care in recognition of their work.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.