UNISON urges councils to ensure care staff are properly paid

UNISON is urging councils in England and Wales to be “far more proactive” in ensuring that there is a high standard of homecare provision in their local area, after details emerged of five businesses that have been flouting minimum wage law. The care companies that have been ‘named and shamed’ by the government include: Millennium Care Ltd of Neath Port Talbot – commissioned by Neath Port Talbot Council – failed to pay £28,871.77 to 40 workers; APC Care Limited of Wealden – commissioned by East Sussex Council – failed to pay £6,311.6 to 39 workers; A1 Home Care Ltd of Chelmsford – commissioned by Essex Council and Brent – failed to pay £3,774.46 to 24 workers; Danum Homecare Ltd of Doncaster – commissioned by Doncaster and Wakefield councils – failed to pay £1,516 to 13 workers; Ms Deborah Harrison, trading as Kingfisher Care Services, Redditch Borough Council, B97 – commissioned by Worcestershire Council – failed to pay £558.79 to two workers. These employers have been made to pay what they owed, to staff, while also being fined £3.2 million. In total, government investigations revealed that more than £2.1m was owed by 191 companies across sectors, to more than 34,000 workers. UNISON national officer for social care, Matt Egan, said: “We are urging local councils to be far more proactive in ensuring that there is a high standard of homecare provision in their local area. “While the vast majority of councils across the UK now ou...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News adult social care ethical care charter national minimum wage Source Type: news