Staff in social work teams across Lancashire are to walk out for nine days starting from today (September 28) in what will be the fourth round of strikes over salary and working arrangements.

As many as 200 social care support officers and hearing impairment officers employed by Lancashire County Council could join the action.

This follows a total of 13 days of strikes in three rounds across July and August.

Staff want to be paid at the correct rates for the jobs they are doing but the local authority has so far refused, says trade union Unison.

Unison says the workers have reluctantly taken the decision to escalate their action. This latest round will be for the longest yet and began in the early hours of the morning and ends at midnight on Sunday, October 6.

The staff involved conduct social care assessments for adults and arrange and review care packages for people with additional needs. This includes older people and those with physical or learning disabilities, and mental health issues.

Social worker shortages countrywide and increasing demand across the county means their roles have expanded significantly over the past decade, says Unison.

The union says support staff frequently find themselves being used in place of social workers, but without receiving any more pay.

Because of the shortages, support workers regularly undertake complex tasks. These include supporting survivors of domestic abuse, victims of sexual exploitation, and people going through periods of serious self-neglect, says Unison.

The dispute has arisen because the staff are employed on grade six of the council's salary scale but believe they should be on the next grade up because of the challenging work they undertake.

Grade six staff are paid up to £4,200 a year less than those on the higher grade seven, says Unison.

Unison North West regional organiser James Rupa said: "Adult social care in Lancashire is heading for meltdown and the county council is asleep at the wheel.

"The authority has long relied on social care support officers to deliver essential services beyond their pay grade, exploiting their skills while paying them on the cheap.

"Despite three earlier rounds of action demanding fair regrading, the council continues to ignore these workers’ concerns. Meanwhile the wait times in the service are increasing and the backlog is going up and up.

“It’s vital the council resolves this issue so these employees can get back to work and start to clean up the mess the council’s caused before things get even more out of hand.”

- Picket lines will be in place on weekdays in the following places:

  • Monday 30 September – Skelmersdale library (8-10am)
  • Tuesday 1 October – Lancs House, Accrington (8-10am)
  • Wednesday 2 October – Whitecross, Lancaster (8-10am)
  • Thursday 3 October – County Hall, Preston (8am – midday)
  • Friday 4 October – Four Lane Ends, Thornton (8-10am)

Lancashire Council has been approached for comment.