Social workers resolve pay dispute as larger strike threat persists

A pay dispute involving children’s social workers at Bath and North East Somerset Council has concluded, bringing an end to industrial action by 28 team managers and deputy team managers. These staff members had staged four days of strikes over several months, protesting a pay regrading that placed them on the same salary grade as some of the staff they supervise.

Following constructive talks between the council and the trade union Unison, an agreement has been reached to resolve this particular pay dispute. A council spokesperson emphasized the importance of this resolution, stating it supports collaborative efforts to deliver positive outcomes for children, young people, and families within the community.

The strikes had been initiated after a February vote, with one day of action in March and three consecutive days in May, including a picket outside the Keynsham Civic Centre.

However, while this pay issue is settled, a larger dispute remains outstanding, involving over 200 social workers. This centers on a proposed restructuring of the children’s services department, which would eliminate several existing teams, result in five redundancies, and reassign staff to new roles. The changes are partly driven by the government’s “families first” social work reforms aimed at creating multidisciplinary family help teams to provide more consistent support for families.

A strike ballot conducted in May saw a 70% turnout among 229 eligible workers, with 90% voting in favor of strike action and 97% in favor of taking action short of a strike. Unison has indicated it will consider deploying its strike mandate depending on the council’s response to the restructuring proposals, with the possibility of industrial action looming.