Worrying Changes for Perth and Kinross Care Home Staff

That the Parliament notes with concern reports that staff at local authority care homes in Perth and Kinross have been told to accept new working conditions or face losing their jobs; understands that the new conditions include working 12 hours per day, mixed day- and night-shifts and six-weekly rotas; is troubled that the practical effect of the changes will, it understands, be cuts in pay for almost a quarter of employees and longer working hours; is alarmed by reports that staff who do not agree to vary their contracts will be served notice that their employment will be terminated; understands that the problems that Perth and Kinross Council faces are as a result of the continuing budget pressures placed on it by the Scottish Government; commends the work of UNISON, which it considers to have been working tirelessly over the last 12 months to mitigate the worst of the changes, and calls on the local authority to revise its plans and to re-engage with its employees in order to find a solution that works for all.