Blog: A broken system – in our economy and in social care

Every day we’re confronted with increasingly dire warnings about the state of the UK’s economy. We’re told a recession is on its way, the Bank of England continues to hike up interest rates and inflation just keeps on rising. And this morning, we learned from the latest labour market statistics, that for seven months in a row, workers’ wages have fallen. In the last quarter, wages were 3% lower in real terms than last year. The only workers that seem to be immune from wage decline are those in the financial sector – seeing their pay rise by some 20%. But some of the lowest paid workers, who do the already undervalued work of caring for our loved ones when they need it, are in a very different situation. UNISON members at St Monica Trust care homes in the South West of England are set to lose thousands of pounds, together with a watering down of their sick pay. Despite a national shortage of care staff of around 150,000, the most experienced staff are earmarked for the biggest cuts. The insult is compounded with the threat of the sack unless they accept the pay cut. Fire and rehire tactics are simply appalling, and the trust has hurt the workforce even more by advertising for agency staff at an hourly rate of £16.81 – £7 more than what the St Monica workforce is currently earning. Our members at St Monica care homes have already taken strike action, but this week they will take part in two 48-hour strikes, in two care homes. They’re left with no option, becaus...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: General secretary's blog News care Industrial action St Monica Trust Source Type: news