MPs have a chance to back the campaign for homecare workers to be properly paid for the time they spend travelling between clients – and you can ask your MP to put their name to it.
Labour MP – and former UNISON president – Dave Anderson has submitted an early day motion on the subject, which other MPs can sign to show their support.
His EDM 349 notes that “homecare workers in particular are consistently not paid for travel time or training, too often have illegal deductions made from their pay and are frequently put on zero-hours contracts to deny them their legal rights”.
This means that these workers, providing vital services to vulnerable people, are often paid less than the minimum wage.
The motion calls on the government to tackle this illegal underpayment with steps, including;
- an active campaign by HMRC to enforce the national minimum wage;
- naming and shaming providers who fail to pay a legal wage;
- and naming and praising “those care providers and councils who have signed up to UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter.”
UNISON is calling on people to email or write to their MPs and urge them to sign the early day motion.
You can find out who your MP is and how to contact them at the theyworkforyou website.
You might consider using a text similar to this:
Dear…MP
The National Audit Office recently reported that between 160-220,000 care workers in England alone are being paid below the National Minimum Wage.
The Public Accounts Committee picked up on this in the summer and said that:
“We are astonished that up to 220,000 care workers earn less than minimum wage and seemingly little has been done to rectify this, and that around one third are on zero-hours contracts.”
A recent investigation by HMRC into the social care sector identified non-compliance with the national minimum wage in 50% of their enquiries.
Paying care workers below the national minimum wage is illegal and hurts care standards. It is a major reason why turnover in homecare is around 30%.
Please can you sign Early Day Motion 349 which highlights this scandal and calls upon the government to take action to end this endemic criminal practice.
Please can you also do what you can to speak up on behalf of care workers in Parliament.
Best wishes,
Your Name
Your Address
