It ’ s time to end poverty wages and exploitative practices

Poverty wages and exploitative working practices have scarred the social care workforce for decades, UNISON’s community service group conference declared in Southport this afternoon. At the same time, conference expressed clear doubt over promises from Whitehall that a government Green Paper expected toon will “ensure that the care and support system is sustainable in the long term”. That can only happen if “care workers are treated with the dignity and fairness they so deserve,” declared. Kevin Jackson, for the service group executive speaker, recalled that when he started work in the sector, “I noticed something was wrong with my terms and conditions – I earned less than the other staff members.” He discovered, he recalled, that “I was on a direct contract. My colleagues were on NHS or local government terms and conditions. I became a steward.” And now, “in my 20th year in work, we are promised another green paper to make the social care system better. “But the only people who will deliver for social care workers are this union.” He called for the sector’s “race to the bottom” to end as soon as possible, so that we can build “a social care system for the many, not the few”. Conference called for the union’s response to the green paper, when it is published, “addresses the employment issues which are so important to UNISON community members,” including paying the minimum wage for sleep-in shifts, violence at work, not being paid for...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article 2019 Community Conference care communities pay pay up now social care Source Type: news