Dave Thompson MSP

Following his address to a rally of 500 care home protestors at the weekend, Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson has stated that the main reason private care homes are cheaper than those run by local authorities is that staff receive lower wages.

The rally in Fort William on Saturday had been organised by supporters of Invernevis House, one of five Highland Council care homes scheduled to be replaced in a £30 million building programme now widely expected to be scrapped when the local authority meets to discuss the issue later this week.

The other affected homes are Grant House (Grantown), Ach An Eas (Inverness), Urray House (Muir of Ord) and Duthac House (Tain).

Reports that the current Lib Dem Highland Council administration is of the view that it can sacrifice these homes and rely instead on provision from the private sector was one aspect of the feared programme that particularly alarmed Mr Thompson.

In his speech the Scottish National Party MSP told the crowd that public sector care home staff on the lowest rate of pay receives £6.92 per hour (£12,594 per annum) while their counterparts in equivalent positions in the private sector are paid the minimum wage £5.80 (10,556 per annum). In addition, public sector staff are able to contribute to a better pension than the statutory entitlement provided by the private sector.

"These lower wages and conditions add up to 30 per cent less costs to the private sector," Mr Thompson said after the rally. "But is this really where we should be going - cutting the wages and conditions of our lowest paid workers and piling the burden of savings on our dedicated care home staff?"

He added: "I believe we should be protecting these low paid council care workers and trying to get those in the private sector up to the same modest levels of wages and conditions. Workers whose weekly wage is barely enough to live on and yet, who we expect to carry out one of the most important and difficult jobs in our society, caring for our elderly at the end of their lives. Surely they deserve decent wages and conditions.

"The Lib Dems and Labour should be ashamed of themselves and I hope that later this week they will do another U-turn and reverse the Care Home privatisation plan at the meeting of the full Highland Council."

Notes:

The previous SNP-led administration reversed a prior Highland Council policy to sell off care homes to the private sector and instead committed to replacing the five care homes.

In recent weeks leading figures within the current Lib/Lab/Independent administration have spoken out against the replacement policy and stated that provision was cheaper in the private sector.