STUC delegates vowed on Wednesday to campaign against the "immoral and disgraceful charges" being imposed by Fife Council for home-care services.
Congress heard how the local authority had raised charges without any consultation.
Increases for essential services included home-care charges rising from nil weekly to £11 per hour on a means-tested assessment, shopping charges up from nil to £7 per weekly shop, alarm systems increased from nil to £52 per year and the Disabled Taxi Service slashed from 80 to 40 trips per year.
"These charges have been a knee jerk reaction to social-care budget cuts and it was forced through with no consultation, no debate - just a diktat," said Kircaldy TUC delegate Aileen Grieg.
UNISON delegate Steven Smellie said that the Fife cuts reflect a wider attack on investment in home-care services, including the threat of outsourcing.
"My own mother is now being charged £6.16 per month for a homecare alarm. If you are living on a pension, that is a lot out of a small budget."
Care workers were also being asked to cut back on time, he said.
"If they were spending an hour with someone, they are now being asked to spend half an hour. If it was half an hour, they are exepcted to do 20 or 15 minutes.
"There's not much care you can give in 15 minutes."
Subscribe to the Morning Star online
For peace and socialism - the only socialist daily paper in the English language
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment