THE Church of Scotland has been accused of “hypocrisy of the highest level” after failing to pay the living wage to staff four years after backing the principle at the General Assembly.
The Kirk's social care council said £1 million is required to pay 137 cooks, cleaners and other non-care staff the same living wage as care workers.
Gordon Pennykid, a deacon from Livingston Old Parish, accused the Kirk of hypocrisy for failing to meet the pledge made in 2012.
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The assembly backed his amendment to a motion which effectively prioritised finding ways of funding the living wage for all 1,858 staff who work for the CrossReach, the care arm of the Church and the second largest care provider in Scotland behind the state.
Among that workforce it has 475 relief staff and 88 executive office support staff.
There is no time scale for the pay rise yet as negotiations would be done council by council.
The assembly agreed to push to achieve living wage “as soon as possible”.
Care staff at 70 Kirk services around Scotland are in line to receive £8.25 an hour from October paid for out of a £1m Scottish Government grant already in place.
But while the assembly supported Mr Pennykid’s amendment which called to “instruct the council to work with the Council of Assembly to enable payment of the living wage as soon as possible”, he said the care service could also seek specific funding from the Kirk.
He said: "As a previous care worker for CrossReach I can wholeheartedly say that it is the hardest yet most fulfilling ministry I have ever been privileged enough to be involved in and I will commend the work of CrossReach to anybody who will listen.
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"However the continued failure to pay the living wage some four years after the General Assembly instructed it is becoming embarrassing and hypocrisy of the highest level in this Church."
Sally Bonnar, care council convener, said: "Understandably we know that the public purse is not infinitely expendable, that there are serious funding issues for all sorts of services across the country.
"So we need to be realistic but as you heard from the floor of the assembly there were questions about paying our staff the Scottish living wage.
"We have a responsibility to our staff to keep pressing for that funding."
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She also said wider questions should be raised over how society funds care.
She told the assembly: "It’s an extremely challenging situation that we find ourselves in as do all other care providers.
"I would say that CrossReach has been successful in being recognised as a good provider.
"People have cut their hours so that they could stay with CrossReach."
She said: "The assembly will be aware that for many years CrossReach has been struggling to achieve a break-even budget and we had hoped to be in a position to bring this to this year’s assembly.
"Unfortunately, despite the generosity of the Council of Assembly in helping to deliver a consolidated pay rise to our staff this year, factors beyond our control mean that a break-even position has yet to be achieved, although this year we are closer than ever before."
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