Private and voluntary sector staff working in Adult Social Care
(ASC), Children’s Services (CS) and those who deliver funded
Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) will receive at least £12 an
hour under a new pledge made by the First Minister.
This uplift, announced in the First Minister’s first Programme
for Government, will mean an increase of more than £2,000 a year
for some staff in April 2024.
The £12 minimum pay rate represents an increase of 10.1% from the
£10.90 minimum rate that was introduced in April 2023 for
eligible staff in ASC and ELC.
For workers in CS who previously received National Minimum Wage,
this increase will represent a minimum increase in pay of 15.2%
compared to April 2023.
First Minister said:
“Up to 100,000 workers will benefit from this policy. They fulfil
a vital role in society, and we are immensely grateful for the
contribution they make. Pay and conditions are of great
importance in the wellbeing and retention of the social care
workforce, and that is why we are committing to make sure staff
in these vital services are paid at least £12 per hour.
“Four out of five people who will benefit from this uplift in pay
are female. Increasing pay not only helps the workforce in
question, but will also help achieve our wider priorities on
child poverty, fair work, and post-Covid recovery in the health
and care sector.”
Background
The Scottish Government is working with COSLA and local
authorities to support the implementation of this commitment and
will set out further details in the coming months, building on
the current guidance that supports implementation of the real
Living Wage commitment.
Currently the minimum paid wage for adult social care staff in
Scotland is around £900 per year higher for full time staff in
Scotland than it is for their counterparts in England.
