Cornerstone and UNISON urge First Minister to end threat of strikes across social care sector.

In an unprecedented move Cornerstone and Scotland’s largest social care union UNISON have joined forces to call upon the Scottish government to recognise the immediate threat of industrial action across the sector and urgent need for significant investment. 

In a joint letter (dated 23/10/25) they have called for the government to recognise the social care sector as an essential part of Scotland’s social and economic fabric and question the government’s ability to deliver on its ambitions for dignity, equality, and wellbeing without decisive action on social care.  

In summary, the joint letter asks for commitment to proper and sustained funding that ensures:  

• The immediate commitment to a minimum £15 per hour rate of pay for all frontline social care workers  

• Sufficient ongoing funding to maintain fair pay differentials for all other staff across the workforce.  

• Implementation of sectoral bargaining in Scotland for Social Care in 2026/27  

• Recognition that care work in the voluntary and private sector is undervalued and only pay parity across the sector will bring equality.  

• Services are stable, resilient and sustainable, able to meet the needs of the people who rely on them.  

• The sector is recognised as an essential part of Scotland’s social and economic fabric.  

Hazel Brown, Chief Executive of Cornerstone explains: “This is an unprecedented move which sees Cornerstone and UNISON join forces in making an approach to the Scottish government, despite being in dispute and facing the prospect of industrial action. Our unusual joint approach reflects the constructive relationship we have with UNISON and our shared conviction that social care workers in the Third Sector deserve far better. But it also serves to demonstrate the strength of feeling and urgency of the moment.  

“Social care workers are a vital part of Scotland’s communities and economy, and they deserve pay that recognises the challenges, skills and professionalism required of their roles. Recent pay negotiations have become protracted and increasingly difficult, and we now face the real possibility of industrial action along with other providers in the sector. We are asking the Scottish government to commit to sectoral bargaining, allowing for issues around pay differentials to be addressed and ensuring long-term pay parity across the sector that sees staff rewarded on the same basis as colleagues doing the same or similar jobs in local authorities and the NHS. 

“We are of the joint opinion that only immediate, meaningful investment by the Scottish government can deliver a sustainable sector capable of delivering the care, dignity, and fairness that the people of Scotland deserve. We will continue to engage in constructive discussions with UNISON to do all that we can to avoid industrial action, but without urgent intervention, the sector as a whole is at serious risk of collapse, leaving some of our most vulnerable citizens at risk and causing significant job losses across the country”.  

Peter Hunter, UNISON Regional Manager UNISON added: 

UNISON has good industrial relations with Cornerstone. We understand the financial constraints the charity is coping with.  Our joint demands are no more than what social care staff have already been promised by the government.  Staff have had four years of broken promises. The Scottish government pledged to invest into pay and conditions. This has not happened, and this group of workers remain some of the lowest paid workers in the country. Social care staff have no choice but to stand up for themselves.

You can read the joint letter in full here.