Commenting on Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection taking place today (Thursday) in tribute to the work of social care staff during the pandemic and those who lost their lives to Covid, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“Care workers put their lives on the line to protect and look after people, often without essential protective equipment.
“It’s important everyone remembers and pays their respects. But the best tribute to those who died would be to fix the broken social care system.
“Most care staff are still paid less than the real living wage, frequently do extra shifts because of chronic staffing shortages and get no sick pay.
“This memorial day should be a catalyst for changing social care into a high-quality service. Care should be provided by well-supported workers who’re paid fairly and treated like human beings, not numbers on a spreadsheet.”
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.
