UNISON has welcomed the recent ruling by HMRC to force a major homecare provider to pay its staff £600,000 in arrears after failing to pay them for their travel time.
Almost 3,000 home care staff members received a share of over £600,000 after an investigation by the HMRC’s national minimum wage enforcement team found that their employer had not paid them the correct wages.
The homecare provider had not paid staff for time spent traveling in-between care visits and had not paid some staff for other extra hours worked.
However, UNISON stresses that this ruling represents just the tip of the iceberg, as well over 200,000 care workers are victims of the same treatment.
UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield said: “UNISON has been at the forefront of groups calling for action over this issue as part of our wider ethical care campaign.
“We hope that this ruling will now open the floodgates for similar rulings and urge HMRC to continue taking action in the sector.
“UNISON is clear that this practice is sadly endemic due to a hugely underfunded social care system, poor quality commissioning and unscrupulous business practices.
“There are tens of thousands of other homecare workers who are subject to below national minimum wage pay rates and are collectively being robbed of tens of millions of pounds.
“It is not only a clear violation of the law but has a hugely detrimental effect on the quality of care that is being delivered to elderly and disabled people in their own homes.
“Government, councils and homecare providers must all work together to end this dismal practice.”
UNISON is encouraging all its branches to tackle this issue via our Pay Up For Travel Time campaign.
Tools for the Pay Up for Travel campaign
UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter [PDF]
