Glasgow Uber drivers and foster carers protest 'precarious' working conditions

The workers held a demonstration in George Square as a long-running case over the status of Uber drivers was heard in the Court of Appeal.

Union members spoke out against ‘precarious’ conditions they face, including not knowing how much work will be available, not knowing how much or if they will be paid and how they would get by in the event of illness.

Foster carers from various local authorities argued that they are not recognised as workers or employees and are denied rights such as protection from unfair dismissal and protection from whistleblowing.

If the workers were treated as employees of the council, they would be entitled to the national minimum wage, statutory holiday leave and rest breaks, sick pay and employer pension contributions.

Jane Wright, chair of Foster Care Workers Union, said: “We’re providing services that people want and we don’t have the right to earn a living like everyone else.”

"We’re here to stand in solidarity with other precarious workers. As foster carers we can be dismissed at any time and that’s hugely detrimental to the children we look after.

“We need the security for what we do, which is a really important job. We get paid buttons and we get treated with no rights.

“We’re looking for workers rights for foster carers, the right to be represented at a dismissal hearing. We should have an entitlement to some sort of break and there should be a central register of carers.

“We’re seen as seeing self-employed but we’re not because we’re tied.”

Kenneth Millard and Alice McPake, who have been foster carers for 19-years, joined the protest in solidarity with the workers.

Mr Millard said: “I’ve never had any problems with South Lanarkshire council but we’re here for all the foster care workers and those in precarious conditions.

“You get paid not a great deal of money, no contract, no pension - we get some paid holidays but a lot of other regions don’t.

“There are some gross injustices. I’ve spoken to carers who have just tried to advocate injustices people are stigmatised for that.

“We’re effectively workers because we’re overseen and we’re held to account is anything goes wrong but we're treated as such.

He added: “Foster carers are in crisis. Local authorities can’t recruit foster carers because it’s not a great job and some are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“People work for decades for foster care and are burnt out by the end of it but have nothing to show for it.”

Sebastien Flais, union coordinator, explained: “Today is the first day of the uber workers rights case, they want access to employment rights.

“We’re demanding an end to all precarious work. Our union has the origin of standing up for migrant workers who have been forgotten by their employers and by other unions."

Among those attending the demonstration was James and Christine Johnstone who previously raised employment tribunal claims seeking compensation in part for what they alleged was unlawful deduction of wages from Glasgow City Council.

The authority raised an initial point arguing that the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims on the basis that the pair were neither employees nor workers providing a service to the local authority.

The employment tribunal ruled that the couple were employees of the council and that it could hear the claims.

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which was involved in the case, described it as a landmark ruling and a massive victory.

Jimmy Johnstone, secretary of the Scottish Foster Carers Workers Union, said: “We were victimised and abused by Glasgow City Council. Even now we’re over a year and a half later, we’re still being discriminated against.

“We’re sitting in limbo.

“We’re basically on zero hours on contracts which is fine if people want that. There’s young and old people.”