social care – Page 4 – Union Newswire

Migrant care staff in UK ‘exploited and harassed’ by employers, says UNISON

Migrant staff coming to the UK to take up jobs in social care are being forced to pay back thousands of pounds in fees, housed in sub-standard accommodation and even forced to share beds with colleagues, says UNISON today (Monday).

To highlight this appalling treatment, the union has written to care minister Helen Whately warning of a ‘significant rise’ in reports of unacceptable treatment by unscrupulous employers towards workers from overseas.

In the letter, UNISON says the exploitation and ‘shocking abuse’ faced by skilled migrant workers – 58,000 of whom came to the UK to work in the care sector in the 12 months to March – can include huge charges to pay back ‘relocation costs’ if they wish to change jobs.

Social care employers often demand migrants pay large fees of up to £15,000 upfront for finding them a job and housing in the UK. But many end up in poor accommodation, then have rent deducted from their wages, according to the union.

The letter details one case where a care home employer chased a nurse for £14,000 after she resigned. The employee had raised concerns over exploitative treatment and standards of care.

Some have been paid for just a fraction of the hours they have worked or subjected to racist remarks, harassment, and intimidation if they complain about the treatment of the people they care for.

Others have worked for several months without being paid by their employers, who claim this is to recoup fees towards the cost of the migrant workers’ training or accommodation.

Care staff have told UNISON they’re expected to share bedrooms and, in some cases, even beds. They are also directed by their employers not to discuss the circumstances of how they came to be in the UK with anyone.

In the letter, UNISON says: “Sadly, this is inevitable in a sector that is built on poor terms and conditions for all care workers, including poverty wages, no proper sick pay, failure to pay for travel time and zero-hours contracts.”

The letter acknowledges the Prime Minister’s recent rejection of calls to scale back the visa route for social care, saying that this is “a tacit acknowledgment of how much these workers are doing to prop up a system in crisis. These workers deserve our praise, thanks, and good working conditions, not the outright exploitation many are facing.”

It continues: “Care worker ill-treatment is rife, irrespective of migration status. But unscrupulous employers have greater powers over migrant care workers, which leads to the most extreme and disgraceful practices.”

UNISON says in the letter that the problem is ‘systemic’, migrant workers ‘deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in compliance with UK employment law’, and the government has ‘a responsibility to intervene’.

This would “ensure the fair treatment of migrant workers who have come to help provide a vital public service”, the letter adds.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The government must stop unscrupulous care employers from luring overseas workers under false pretences, only to then exploit and harass them.

“These practices have no place in a modern society. Migrant staff deserve nothing but respect and dignity for coming to look after those who need care the most. This makes the case for why a national care service, that mirrors the NHS, is needed so urgently.”

Notes to editors:
– The government added ‘care workers’ and ‘home carers’ to the shortage occupation list for skilled workers in February 2022. This has enabled care providers to recruit directly from abroad to these roles. Nurses from overseas can also access visas to work in social care.
Case studies: Michael, a nurse who was asked to pay back several thousand pounds, said: “It was like modern-day slavery. I was just a commodity to my employer. I knew there might be costs to pay back but not such a high amount.”
– Agnes, a nurse whose employer didn’t pay her for her last few months at work, said: “The contract I signed was deceiving, it didn’t specify how much I’d have to pay back. My employer didn’t pay me for the last few months to recoup the money they claimed I owed them. They’d call on my day off to ask if what I was doing was important. The whole experience was devastating.”
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:

Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Migrant care staff in UK ‘exploited and harassed’ by employers, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Matt Hancock’s actions during the pandemic left the care sector exposed, says UNISON

Commenting on the evidence given to the Covid inquiry today (Wednesday) by former health and social care secretary Matt Hancock, UNISON head of care Gavin Edwards said:

“The Conservatives had been in power for ten years when Covid struck. But a range of ministers systematically neglected social care, leaving it in a dreadful state at a critical time.

“Matt Hancock is living in a different world. His actions left the care sector exposed to the devastating impact of the pandemic.

“He failed to make enough protective kit and testing available when staff and care home residents desperately needed it. His disregard for the most vulnerable cost thousands of lives.

“The government repeatedly ignored calls to improve the availability of sick pay so care workers didn’t lose out when ill or isolating. Ministers’ failure to act meant many staff continued to work, with shocking consequences.

“Nothing can right the many mistakes made by ministers three years ago. But social care can be improved drastically now so the sector is more resilient in future.

“A properly funded national care service, delivered by local councils, using better trained and fairly paid staff, would ensure good quality care to all who need it.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk

The article Matt Hancock’s actions during the pandemic left the care sector exposed, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care workers take centre stage at local government conference

The final afternoon of the UNISON’s 2023 local government conference saw several motions on social care passed.

The session, chaired by UNISON president Andrea Egan, kicked off with a motion on a national care service.

Tony Barnsley, introducing the motion on behalf of the NJC local government committee, said: “The pandemic shone a light on social care for a lot of people in this country.

“On the one hand, we saw minimum-waged heroes putting themselves on the frontline, to care, despite lack of PPE. On the other hand were owners of these privatised care homes, demanding more money from the state.

“It is vital UNISON sends a message loud and clear to this government: you can’t fix free market failure in the care sector with more free market policies. Fixing market failure requires the state to step back in, take control, and run care for the needs of the many, not profits for the few.

“Insourcing, insourcing, insourcing is the solution to market failure.

“We need a national care service established in this country, with the same political vigour and principles that the NHS was created with.”

Mr Barnsley encouraged delegates to read UNISON’s bargaining for insourcing guide.

Council-provided care

However, a second motion, introduced by Brenda Aitchison on behalf of Scotland, outlined the perils of a national care service that is not run by councils.

In a motion titled ‘council-provided care’, Ms Aitchison explained how, in Scotland, UNISON has opposed the current National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, in part because it is “an attack on local government and the local government social care staff”.

The bill will take social care services out of the control of councils and placed in the hands of care boards. Ms Aitchison said: “If this bill is passed, it will remove democratic control from all councils in Scotland.

“We know we need a national care service. We know change is needed, but that change has to be right for both staff and the service users. Our current system promotes the market approach, which drives down standards of pay and conditions. We need to say loudly – we need to take profit out of care.”

Speaking in support of the motion on behalf of the service group executive, Lorraine Thompson said: “The quality of care provided by the council will nearly always be better than the private sector, primarily because the profit motive does not impede on service provision.”

Caring for our carers

A third motion centred on the need to care for social carers themselves. Introducing a motion on behalf of UNISON’s national women’s committee, Sarah Feeney said: “80% of people working in care are women. A greater proportion are Black women. And they’re treated appallingly.”

Speaking in support of the motion, Valerie Bossman-Quarshie from UNISON Barnet said: “In my experience as a young carer, I did not have enough support, I was paid low wages, working long hours, but I do remember loving those I cared for, and that love has not changed or left me.”

“We must remember young carers, those who haven’t even registered as carers, and those from African and African-Caribbean, Black backgrounds, caring for our ageing population. It’s a good thing we are ageing and living longer, but we should celebrate those young carers when there’s no incentive for becoming a carer.”

Adult social care

A final motion passed on adult social care was introduced by the national LGBT+ committee with Jackie Lewis (pictured) moving.

Ms Lewis told delegates: “There is roughly a 50/50 split in the number of adults receiving adult social care, between those who are retired and those who are working age.

“There will be a significant number of people who are or will be users of adult social care who are LGBT+ local government workers.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that LGBT+ workers are – and have always been – well-represented among social care workers. However, they are often invisible.

“A workforce where LGBT+ workers are unable to be out at work is not likely to be one where workers can confidently meet the specific needs of LGBT+ service users.”

The article Care workers take centre stage at local government conference first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Roadmap launched for a national care service to transform lives, says UNISON

The first ever roadmap for a national care service in England that would help ease NHS pressures, transform lives and tackle growing workforce shortages is published today (Thursday).

The document, commissioned by UNISON from the Fabian Society, will be launched in Westminster later today.

The report, Support Guaranteed, says long-term solutions, not quick fixes, are needed to solve the crisis in social care. The new national service would transform support for those who need it and provide more choice and control for individuals and their families.

This national system would reduce pressure on the NHS, improve the lives of thousands of people who lack independence, and plug gaps in the support family members provide to loved ones as unpaid carers, according to the 81-page report.

Ten suggested principles should underpin a new national service, says the report, including care that is high-quality, affordable, accessible and connected to the NHS and other local support.

These values will be the ‘building blocks’ of a national guarantee – a promise made by the government and local councils to people needing care about what they will receive from the service.

The report suggests a potential launch date for a national care service could be 5 July 2028 to mark the 80th anniversary of the NHS.

Major reforms and a new way of managing care are needed because extra money alone won’t solve the sector’s many problems, says Support Guaranteed. The taxpayer is spending around £20bn each year on a system in England that does not work and needs urgent attention.

The document says spending cuts have created a social care ‘emergency’ where local authorities are forced to ration support, despite huge rises in demand.

Poor pay and conditions are among the factors that have triggered a staffing crisis in the sector, with 165,000 vacancies, according to data highlighted in Support Guaranteed.

This crisis is causing ‘huge harm’ to people with lifelong and enduring disabilities, frail older people are losing their independence and unpaid carers are under extraordinary pressures.

Under a national care service, support would be provided locally and delivered under one name across England with all employees guaranteed fair rates of pay.

Crucially, the report states that a new workforce settlement should be the first priority in creating a national care service. This would mean national minimums for wages, sick pay, pensions and annual holiday across the country, with workers guaranteed decent, comprehensive training.

The report says it does not back the creation of a single national health and care service, although services may wish to merge locally, and this is something that may well come about over time.

Support Guaranteed highlights the dysfunctional nature of the current social care ‘market’ and recommends a series of measures for overhauling the system, such as councils delivering local care services themselves, as well as removing the profit motive from care provision.

Commenting on the report, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Social care has been neglected for too long. The system is broken and the staff who work in it are either on their knees or leaving in droves.

“Promises of reform have come to nothing and people needing care are being let down on a grand scale. Arranging care for a loved one is a minefield for families trying to navigate the system for the first time.

“To make matters worse the sector is thousands of staff short. Raising pay is key to stopping the exodus of staff quitting for higher wages and less stressful, emotionally draining jobs elsewhere.

“People who rely on care deserve much better. A national care service would boost wages, put quality above profit-making and ensure everyone receives the support they need.”

Report co-author and general secretary of the Fabian Society Andrew Harrop said: “This comprehensive plan for a national care service for England is an ambitious roadmap for solving one of the country’s most significant and enduring social challenges.

“The Fabian Society’s plan works for everyone who needs support or care now or who may do in the future. But vitally, it is also a blueprint that works for the under-valued care workforce and for our huge army of unpaid family carers.”

Shadow health and social care secretary Wes Streeting MP said: “This report is an important contribution to the debate on our social care system.

“Labour is committed to ensuring better terms and conditions, proper training, and fair pay for care workers, with national standards guaranteeing good quality care, as the first steps to building a national care service.”

Notes to editors:
– The link to the report is here – https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2023/06/Fabians-Support-Guaranteed-Report-D3.pdf It is being launched at 10am today (Thursday) by Andy Harrop and Christina McAnea at Church House.
– UNISON is opposed to the Scottish government’s National Care Service (Scotland) Bill because it leaves profiteering at the heart of care, and if it became law would outsource a huge range of functions. This would include social work and social care from local councils, and an unknown number of responsibilities from the NHS. UNISON believes the Bill threatens the employment of tens of thousands of workers and would mean huge sums of money spent on structural change rather than improving services.
– It is being launched at 10am today (Thursday) by Andy Harrop and Christina McAnea at Church House.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union and the largest union in the NHS and in the ambulance sector, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Emma Burnell M: 07851 941111 E: emma.burnell@fabians.org.uk

The article Roadmap launched for a national care service to transform lives, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Care workers in Wales win 15% increase and Foundation Living Wage

After months of campaigning, support workers in Wales have secured a 15% pay increase and the Foundation Living Wage.

In April 2022, the Welsh Government made £48m available to social care providers to fund an uplift to the Foundation Living Wage for registered care workers in Wales, which is now £10.90.

However, months went by and carers working for Integra Community Living Options did not see any extra money in their pay packets. Union members approached the Cardiff County UNISON Branch about the issue, who enlisted the support of the region and the union’s strategic organising unit (SOU), and set about campaigning.

After four months of collective action, support workers received a significant victory on 21st April 2023, with £780 back pay going to every support worker to cover the wage increase.

UNISON kept the pressure up and on the 21st May 2023, support workers were paid the 2023/24 uplift. These two payments have resulted in a 15% increase overall.

UNISON member Hannah*, who is a support worker, describes the impact of the wage increase and back pay: “I’ve managed to get back on top of my bills. Working for such low pay is difficult and having to put more hours in and then feeling burnt out afterwards is not nice. I’m grateful for the help UNISON has given”.

According to UNISON organiser Kalvinder Tiwana, “This victory has been achieved by taking an organising approach and building power in the workplace. Four months of escalating actions by these members has resulted in their voices being heard and in this win.”

Workers formed an organising committee and created a petition and a collective grievance. On 1 April 2023, UNISON sent an ‘April Fools’ card to commissioning health boards and politicians. Online, they posted photographs of themselves wearing campaign stickers and were buoyed by numerous messages of solidarity from other care workers.

Ms Tiwana continued: “The campaign has exposed the delays and pressured the company to pay up. These low-paid workers have shown that when you organise and harness your collective power, you can win. It also shows how a collaborative and targeted approach by the SOU, Cymru/Wales region and branches has been effective in achieving this.”

Chair of UNISON Cardiff County Branch, Peter Davies, said: “It has been really inspiring to see how this group of workers stuck together as a collective and ensured that they got the money that their employer was trying to deny them. It is also a great example of what can be achieved when union resources are put into organising.”

Another support worker said: “The pay rise has meant a great deal to me as I can stop worrying about bills and other important payments. I am also finally able to go abroad which I haven’t been able to do for years. It wouldn’t have been achieved without the employees standing strong with one another, and working in partnership with UNISON.”

*Name has been changed to protect anonymity.

The article Care workers in Wales win 15% increase and Foundation Living Wage first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON launches its campaign for a National Care Service in England

UNISON today launched its campaign for a National Care Service in England, a nationally recognised institution that will bring about consistent standards of care for older and disabled people, and consistent terms and conditions for the workforce.

Most social care in England is commissioned by local government and delivered by private and independent companies. The system has been run down by a combination of huge funding cuts to councils and profit extraction by some providers. National care standards are not properly enforced and care workers often face poverty wages and exploitation.

As the largest union in the care sector, UNISON believes it is time for ”fundamental change” and is now leading the campaign for a National Care Service that:

gives access to quality care for all those who need it;
is focussed on providing world-class social care, not delivering profits for shareholders;
has national pay, terms and conditions for all care workers and a proper workforce plan;
has the long-term and adequate funding for a high-quality care service; and
includes an emergency pay boost for all care workers, helping to end the staffing crisis.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today: “If we needed any reminding of how the current government disregards the care sector and its workforce, we got news yesterday that they are planning to half the investment in the social care workforce which they announced in 2021.

“Social care now needs to moved to the front of the queue, not shifted to the back. It’s time for change. Social care should become part of a nationally recognised institution, as respected as the NHS. It should not be run for profit, but to provide world-class, high quality social care for those who need it.”

A key element of the campaign will be to ensure that national politicians take responsibility for this vital public service.

The first action is a survey of care workers – the frontline workers who understand the crisis and will help shape the union’s vision for the future of care.

Care workers: take the survey

Find out more at our campaign page

Read Christina McAnea’s Blog

The article UNISON launches its campaign for a National Care Service in England first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Blog: Launching UNISON’s campaign for a National Care Service

It’s clear to everyone that social care is broken. During the pandemic, this crucial public service was left exposed to the ravages of COVID-19. Care workers forced to work without PPE, no sick pay for self-isolation and older and disabled patients discharged from hospitals into care homes while COVID-positive. It led to a national tragedy and the scale of loss was among the worse in Europe.

But the problems in social care didn’t start when COVID-19 arrived. For decades, governments have tried to run our social care system as a privatised bargain basement service, where care workers are left unsupported and care recipients routinely let down.

Most social care in England is commissioned by local government and delivered by private and independent companies. The system has been run down by a combination of funding cuts to councils and profit extraction by some providers. National standards are not properly enforced and care workers routinely face poverty wages and even outright exploitation.

Pay for care workers is at rock-bottom minimum wage rates, even though it’s a difficult, skilled job that requires them to take on huge responsibilities. Some receive even less, because they are not paid adequately for travel time or overnight sleep-in shifts. Is it any wonder there are 165,000 vacancies in the sector? By far the highest rate of unfilled posts for any sector of the economy.

Despite the Westminster government’s claim it would “fix” social care, it doesn’t have the solutions, or the genuine political will, to deliver the service that’s needed.

And if we needed any reminding of how the current government disregards the care sector and its workforce, we got news yesterday that they are planning to half the investment in the social care workforce which they announced in 2021. Social care now needs to moved to the front of the queue, not shifted to the back.

It’s time for change. Social care should become part of a nationally recognised institution, as respected as the NHS. It should not be run for profit, but to provide world-class, high quality social care for those who need it. Older people, disabled people and those in need of reablement services deserve to have their needs put first, not those of shareholders.

UNISON is the largest union in the care sector, and we have a responsibility to push for this progressive and radical change. That’s why over the next 18 months and beyond, UNISON will be intensifying our campaign for England to have a National Care Service.

We want to see a National Care Service that:

gives access to quality care for all who need it;
is focussed on providing world-class social care, not delivering profits for shareholders;
has national pay, terms and conditions for all care workers and a proper workforce plan;
has the long-term and adequate funding for a high-quality care service;
includes an emergency pay boost for all care workers, helping to end the staffing crisis.

Social care is a devolved policy area. Reform, and moves towards a National Care Service model, are at different stages in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. UNISON is campaigning hard for root and branch reform in all nations of the UK. So, although this campaign is focussed on England, we are on the front foot on this issue across the UK.

Over the coming months there will be lots of ways for UNISON members working in social care to get involved in the campaign and push for the change we all so desperately want to see.

We have listened to our members and heard the voices of all those who rely on social care. Make no mistake, we will do everything in our power to make this happen.

Find out more about the campaign here

The article Blog: Launching UNISON’s campaign for a National Care Service first appeared on the UNISON National site.

“We need to outlaw fire and rehire forever”, declares UNISON community conference

Delegates gathered at UNISON’s community conference in Bournemouth on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 March to pass key motions on fire and rehire, low-paid workers being charged for DBS checks and sick pay for social carers.

Fire and rehire

One of the first motions passed was on fire and rehire – a hostile employment practice where an employer seeks to terminate workers’ existing contracts and rehire them under new terms.

Delegates heard how the tactic has been prevalent in the community and voluntary sectors for decades, and without proper legislative protection employers will continue to use this dodgy practice.

Dismissal and re-engagement (also known as “fire and rehire”) has made the headlines in recent years, with household names like British Gas dismissing workers and re-employing them on inferior terms and conditions.

Introducing the motion on behalf of the community service group executive, Kevin Jackson (pictured, at podium) said: “Our members need to stop this from happening now. We need to improve our organising and work to outlaw fire and hire forever with any future government”.

The motion called for the service group executive to work with the national executive council to highlight this practice and the effect it has on union members, and support the call for stronger mechanisms to ultimately outlaw fire and rehire.

Low-paid workers being charged for DBS checks

Conference heard how many low paid members in the community sector are being asked by their employers to pay for their own disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks.

The average support worker earns £10.50 per hour and an enhanced DBS costs £38, which means many workers are effectively being forced to pay in order to work.

Moving the motion, Jordan Creed from London community and voluntary branch described his own experience: “When I worked as a support worker looking after people with learning disabilities, the employer took £20 out of my first two payslips to pay off my DBS check. It means, effectively, they got four hours of free work from me.”

The motion calling on the community service group executive to support the campaign to abolish DBS charges for workers, was started by the UNISON community and voluntary organisations branch and supported by Labour Link.

The motion also requires UNISON to provide practical support by surveying branches to find out which employers are charging for their DBS and to challenge this on social media.

UNISON assistant national officer Haifa Rashed said: “No one should have to pay to work. If a DBS check is a requirement of a job role, the cost burden should be met by the employer, not the worker.

“It is fundamentally unfair to force low paid workers to pay for these essential security checks, especially in a cost of living crisis. UNISON is committed to raising this issue with employers and elected representatives and campaigning to abolish this unjust practice.”

The petition for the London community and voluntary branch’s ‘Abolish the DBS charge for workers’ campaign can be found here. Members can also follow the campaign on Twitter.

“Social care is on its knees”

Social care was high on the agenda at the conference, with four motions related to social care being carried unanimously. Two of these motions focused specifically on the lack of proper sick pay provision for care workers. Many care workers do not have occupational sick pay and so rely on statutory sick pay, which only is paid after three days of absence.

Introducing a motion on sick pay, Paul Rochford from UNISON’s national major charities committee described the dilemma faced by many in this situation: “Workers are forced to choose between going into work sick and feeding their families or doing the right thing by colleagues and service users and staying away, when not fit to work.”

Last year, a UNISON survey of over 2000 social care workers found that over a third of respondents had used up annual leave when sick in order to avoid losing pay.

The variety of motions led to rich discussions among delegates, who recognised the disproportionate amount of women and Black members in the workforce who are confronted with severe staffing shortages and poor terms and conditions.

Actions agreed by the motions included:

providing clear bargaining support information to reps and officers engaged in negotiations around sickness absence and sick pay;
encouraging reps and officers to press for sick pay from day one where this is not already provided and resist any attempts to move backwards where this is already the case;
campaigning for improved statutory sick pay provisions and for local authorities and others to specify good standards of sick pay provision when commissioning services.

UNISON social care lead, Gavin Edwards said: “Our members working in social care have had enough of the fragmented, bargain basement model for care which has led to poor quality care and poor terms and conditions for care workers.

“Is it any wonder there are 165,000 vacancies in the sector when workers are asked to do a difficult, skilled job for minimum wage, and often less?

“UNISON will campaign for the investment the sector needs and reform which will create a National Care Service.”

The article “We need to outlaw fire and rehire forever”, declares UNISON community conference first appeared on the UNISON National site.