Care workers are ready to strike over plans to outsource their services to a private company.
Reablement workers who help people regain independence after a hospital stay are planning to begin strike action this month as Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) moves to outsource their contracts to a private company.
Worker Mandy Hayward claimed she was upset, adding: “There’s been no compassion, no empathy shown to us as the workers.”
Council chiefs said they are ensuring the service “remains sustainable for the future” and working robustly to “minimise” the impact of any strikes.
Sally Umpleby, who has been with the team for 24 years, believes the team has “hundreds” of years of experience.
“The least number of years any one of us has been with us is 16 years,” Umpleby remarked.
“We all feel like we’ve been treated like we’re not humans, we’re just numbers.”
“We are sad and we are angry,” she continued.
The workforce will not be granted redundancy packages but their contracts will be transferred over to the new provider on 1 September.
GCC deliver the reablement service with a number of other organisations including Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and Retain Healthcare.
They said residents would still be supported to restore their independence that GCC will continue to lead the program despite the modifications.
Staff say mental health and morale have been a big concern since the move was announced.
GCC stated the team had been offered support from HR and they have been engaging with colleagues regularly since the decision was taken in July 2025.
But staff in the reablement team said nothing was verified to them until the start of June 2026, the BBC heard.
“We have not received formal notification or details of a strike from Unison,” the statement from the GCC and partners read, but they “respect” staff rights to conduct industrial action.
“We value the professionalism, expertise and dedication of reablement staff and are committed to ongoing constructive engagement with staff and trade union representatives throughout this process,” added the spokesperson.
The BBC understands strike action is planned to take place this month, before the team shifts to private suppliers.
The BBC has asked Unison to verify.