31 May 2002
The report, by Incomes Data Services, found that the pay of teachers, nurses and police officers far outstrips that of social workers.
The union said that despite vacancy rates of 40% in London boroughs and 15% nationally, the government had still failed to target extra money to ease the recruitment crisis. In contrast, the other groups had benefited from living supplements, location allowances and targeted payments.
IDS also surveyed local authorities and found that the majority blamed recruitment problems on a national shortage of qualified social workers as well as poor pay levels.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis demanded that the government take urgent action to tackle poor pay. Speaking at a conference at the TUC on May 28, he added: 'Staff and clients are suffering from a system which is in danger of collapsing under the strain. It is all too easy to create a blame culture, to name and shame and demoralise staff even further.'
Health minister Jacqui Smith said the government was already tackling the shortages of social workers. She said a three-year social work qualification would be introduced from next year, and the Department of Health had launched the second phase of its recruitment drive, complete with billboard advertising and a helpline.
But she added that the 'real key to recruitment' is encouraging individual employers at a local level. 'We in central government just don't have your local knowledge and that's what will make the campaign work,' she told the conference.
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