West Dunbartonshire home care workers are being forced to quit amid a dispute over their new rotas, says GMB.
The union report that nine out of 10 staff say their mental health, including stress and anxiety, have suffered following the implementation of new working patterns and 75% have say the changes have cost them money.
West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) refute the claims made by the union and say the process has been undertaken with engagement with GMB.
A survey by GMB Scotland claims many workers are considering leaving because their new shift patterns are unworkable, costing them money and damaging their health.
According to the survey, eight out of ten believe the redesign has impacted their lives away from work while 58% believe the changes have damaged their pensions and 'sabotaged' retirement plans.
A spokesperson for West Dunbartonshire HSCP insist they value the work of their care staff and have been working with them successfully implementing the new changes.
It is understood staff had the right to appeal the changes when they were proposed and were given the opportunity raise their circumstances with the Head of Service.
One carer surveyed by the union said she found the new shift patterns and additional responsibilities too much to cope with and had to reduce her hours.
She said: “I loved my job and the people I visited but I just couldn’t cope with the new demands. I ended up in tears every night and just couldn’t keep doing it. It was too much.
“Everybody I know in the service is either dropping their hours or thinking about it. It is so unnecessary and unfair.”
Cara Stevenson, of GMB Scotland’s women’s campaign unit, says workers were promised they would not face financial detriment but that it's 'not the case' and the council 'moved the goalposts'.
She said: “These rotas have been imposed despite the council’s own impact assessment confirming the vast majority of these workers are women who, statistically, have more care responsibilities at home and will be more affected by these changes.
“It is a cruel way to treat workers whose commitment and skills should be appreciated and protected not treated with such disrespect.
“The redesign of this service was intended to improve the care delivered to users. Instead it has been plunged into chaos.
“There is no consistency in the care delivered. Overtime and agency workers are still filling holes in the rota and the morale of a skilled and committed workforce is on the floor.
“This is not a redesign but a crisis completely of the council’s making. It must halt these changes while working with us to find a better, fairer way forward.”
A spokesperson for West Dunbartonshire HSCP said: "We value the work our dedicated carers undertake and continue to support them through this period of change.
"The redesign of the home care service was essential to meet the evolving needs of our vulnerable service users and ensure we provide a safe, responsive, consistent and sustainable service.
"This process has been undertaken in a phased manner with significant engagement and communication with our workforce and trade unions, including GMB, at all times.
"While the majority of our workforce have successfully transitioned to the new arrangements, we continue to monitor the impact of the redesign and remain committed to constructive engagement going forward."
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