Unite the Union Gibraltar have issued a statement confirming that strike action by Unite Mmebers within Lifecome Care will be taking place on 1st and 2nd April.

A statement continued: 

"Unite the Union, the union for workers in Gibraltar, balloted Lifecome Care members on 20th January regarding taking strike action due to the endless issues faced by members since the TUPE transfer in September 2024. The ballot result was 84.8% in favour of taking strike action. The strike action will be taking place on 1st and 2nd April, after much deliberation and very much as a last resort due to there being little improvement at Lifecome."

Unite the Union has said it "apologises for the disruption in service but hopes to see the community’s support in this to ensure all matters are resolved for the benefit of all. The union has continued to make itself available for dialogue with the employer to seek a resolution to the issues in dispute."

Bochra Lasfar, Regional Officer for Unite the Union, said “Our members are dedicated professionals, many of whom have committed many years to the most vulnerable people in our community. They have provided Lifecome with multiple opportunities to resolve matters and to avoid strike action, but despite their efforts the company continues to lay all blame on the workers when faced with criticism from the public. The public comments made on the recent Viewpoint programme have served as the final straw for our members.

“Despite the allegations from Lifecome Care that this is a ploy from the Union to push the company out of Gibraltar, Unite the Union has been leading on the TUPE transfer since July 2024 in an attempt to ensure that the transfer ran smoothly while minimising the effect on both service users and employees.  

“From the beginning Unite has been faced with endless challenges regarding both the transfer of undertakings as well as lack of preparation and professionalism on behalf of Lifecome Care. Unite has sought to work with Lifecome and avoid any dispute, far from the baseless allegations being proffered by the employer the union want Lifecome to succeed as this will only benefit our members and the service users. 

“However, our members have continued to visit our offices almost daily with a wide range of complaints about the company many of which we have worked tirelessly with our shop stewards, the Care Agency and the Ministry for Health to resolve, both to improve the service provided to the community as well as to improve the company’s management.  

“Despite this, our members continue to be faced with many issues that make delivering the service very difficult, the app the company claims will solve all their problems, crashes constantly and fails to show up to date information on service users or workers’ rosters resulting in services being attended by two carers and services being missed completely."