Catherwood LibraryILR School

In Cumbria, England, social workers in the mental health division will be participating in strike action starting on Friday this week and will be on strike for 48 hours. Workers state that their positions were given incorrect evaluations by the Cumbria City Council. The workers applied in 2022 for their positions to be regraded, but the Cumbria City Council denied the regrades. These employees are represented by the GMB union and carry out essential functions. They administer mental health assessments and determine if individuals need to be detained based on the United Kingdom’s Mental Health Act. The union states that the work takes an emotional toll on employees and that the Cumbria City Council did not take this into account when grading the positions initially.