GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

just shows what important work this is for the GFTU and how important it is to

provide this for the affiliates and this is an area that we want to grow, of course,

and I think we will. I think we have got some great partners and some very

exciting projects ahead, so thanks to everybody. We have got about 15

minutes. I think we have to finish at 5.30 because I think they have got to do

the room for tonight, so apologies if we do not get to your motion today, we will

hold it over, but I have got four motions in front of me to try and get through.

We will see. I do not want to rush you though. Motion 9 is the one that was not

printed properly in the book. We might give it out in the morning actually so

you can have a read of it maybe in the coffee break. So instead of that I am

going to move to Motion 11 from the Social Workers Union.

MOTION 11 – WORKING CONDITIONS OF SOCIAL WORKERS

BRO JOHN McGOWAN (SWU) moved the following motion:

This AGM calls on the BGCM meeting to support the recent research report by

Bath Spa University’s Dr Jermaine Ravalier. The research showed that as

many as 92% of the 100,000 registered social workers in England, Northern

Ireland, Wales and Scotland are working an average of 10 hours of unpaid

overtime every week. This equates to approximately 480 hours every year, or

64 days, per person.

3421 social workers contributed to the Bath Spa University and SWU survey in

Sept 2018.

Overall, the findings from Dr Jermaine Ravalier’s research in 2018 shows that

working conditions for social workers are at a worrying poor level, thus creating

stress for UK social workers.

Specifically, six of the working conditions out of seven – demands, control,

managerial support, peer support, colleague and service user behaviour, role

and change – have deteriorated further a year on for virtually social worker job

roles.

Social workers are dedicated to their service users but need greater resources

available to them.

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