Thousands of home care staffs paid less than national minimum wage as they are not getting any payment for travel time. A Unison study revealed that it is happening because local councils failed to enforce fair-working contracts on employers.
UNISON reveals today that more than half (54%) of local authorities in England don’t state in their contracts that firms must pay employees for time spent traveling between visits.
The situation is even worse in Wales, where only 40 per cent of councils force private providers to pay for travel time.
A recent UNISON survey of home care workers revealed that three in five (63%) were only paid for time spent in the home of people they care for.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “It is an absolute disgrace that hard-working home care workers are being penalised in this way.
“Poor rates of pay along with the pressure to keep time spent in each home to a minimum make life tough and play a huge part in the high turnover of staff.
“Both the Westminster and Cardiff governments should bring in a new legal duty for councils so they are clear that home care providers must pay employees for every hour they are at work.
“Any companies who fail to do this should be prevented from delivering care services in the future.”
>Juthy Saha
Poor Wages of Thousands of Home Care Workers
Will You Support Our Work?
People turns to WhatsOn to understand what's goingOn? We have been empowering through hope & understanding for the last forty years. We’re an independent social enterprise & our journalism is powered by our supporters. Financial contributions from our readers allows us to keep our journalism free for all & to change the world for better. Please support us, with your donation - no matter how small. Your donation makes a real difference, it empowers our activist & academy, and engages wider community groups, & universities - connecting more people. WhatsOn is a change maker, let’s get our future back together!
