Social Services, COVID-19, Precarious employment, U.K.

(August 2016) Public services union Unison has called for action to protect homecare workers who are losing thousands of pounds in pay every year. Many homecare workers are not paid for the travel time between home visits and in one case supported by Unison a home care workers won £3250 (€3830) in compensation for underpayment. Unison says the government could easily close one loophole by changing minimum wage regulations and has also called for the government to publish a report into six major care companies and potential breaches of minimum wage rules. Read more at Unison.

(September 2016) Public services union Unison has launched a legal challenge against the Haringey local authority in north London and the Sevacare company which had been contracted to provide homecare services. The action is on behalf of 17 homecare workers and pay rates that fall below the minimum wage. The company failed to pay for the time workers spent travelling between people's houses, leaving them effectively on hourly rates of pay less than half the minimum wage.

Public service unions have stepped up their campaign to end the public sector pay cap for all workers following the government's decision to offer higher pay rises to police, prison officers and firefighters. The unions used the annual meeting of the Trade Union Congress to make the case that all public service workers have seen their real pay decline significantly and deserve a higher pay rise. The FBU firefighters' union has rejected the 2% pay offer arguing that it comes with too many unacceptable conditions.

A new survey published by public services union Unison exposes the pressure faced by home care workers and their precarious working conditions.Three-quarters (75%) of care workers said they had too little time to provide proper care because they are too rushed, often because employers pressure them to fit in an excessive number of visits.The report also highlights the job insecurity faced by home care workers with more than half (52%) on zero hours contracts, and more than three in five (63%) not getting paid for the time it takes to travel between care visits.

Public service unions are maintaining their pressure on the government to lift the 1% pay cap that continues to be applied to most public service workers, with the exception of police and firefighters. Civil service union PCS has organised a day of action on 31 October, while UNISON is running a Pay Up Now campaign. The GMB union organised a rally at Westminster to highlight the situation of public service workers to MPs and the RCN nurses' union handed in a petition to the Prime Minister on 20 October.

Hundreds of home care staff, members of the Unison trade union, joined a strike and demonstration in Birmingham in central England on 20 January in protest at plans to slash jobs and impose a new three-shift pattern on workers. The workers had voted by a massive majority to take strike action with the first stoppage running from 11.30 to 14.00 and with a further stoppage taking place on 6 February. The workers say that the new shift pattern (7.00-10.00; 12.00-14.00; 16.00-22.00) will make it impossible for them to have proper rest breaks and put the quality of care at risk. Around 150 jobs are

Public services union UNISON has highlighted the case of care workers employed by the national charity Community Integrated Care who are being subjected to excessive surveillance. Staff have to sign-in on an hourly basis with their photos being taken and their identity also being checked with finger prints. The workers argue that the process actually hampers their ability to deliver proper care to clients. UNISON is also concerned that the company's use of biometric data without personal consent might infringe new data protection rules.

Home care workers employed by Birmingham council in central England have been taking strike action and organising protests in the city against plans to cut hours and jobs. In the latest development, the council has said that full-time workers must reduce their hours. If they don't move to part-time work they will either have to take another job in the council or redundancy. This is a long-running dispute which has seen the workers take 17 days of strike action over several months (see February epsucob@NEWS 03).

Over 8000 workers employed by Glasgow City Council in Scotland took strike action on 23-24 October to put pressure on their employer to deliver equal pay. The dispute dates back as far as 2006 when a new pay scheme was supposed to end to pay inequality based on gender. Instead, its implementation introduced new discriminatory measures. The action involved women in a wide range of jobs, including school administration workers, learning support workers in schools, nursery workers, home carers, cleaners and catering workers.

The solidly supported two-day strike by around 8000 local government workers in Glasgow was successful in getting the council back to the negotiating table. The strike was over the council's failure to deal with longstanding demands for equal pay for a wide range of low-paid women workers in care, catering, cleaning, school support and other services. The strike on 23-24 October was called by the GMB and UNISON trade unions and UNISON now reports that initial talks with the council have been positive and constructive. EPSU, PSI and many affiliates sent messages of support.

Home care workers employed by Birmingham City Council in Central England have mobilised for a rally on Tuesday 29 January supported by their union, Unison, and the TUC, the UK's single trade union confederation. The workers have taken over 50 days of strike action in their long-running dispute over plans by the Council to cut their working time. If the Council implements its plans then some workers will face poverty pay levels and cuts in annual salary of up to GBP 4000 (EUR 4600).

An analysis by the GMB trade union reveals that care workers in the private sector are three times more likely to be on a zero hours contract than those in the public sector. It also finds that employees of private care companies are paid 17% less on average than their public sector counterparts and four in ten leave their job every year. Over 50% per cent of private carers have no relevant social care qualifications, compared with less than 20% in the public sector. The union highlights the underlying problem of underfunding of the sector, an issue which it says is becoming more acute as

Both public services union UNISON and the RCN nursing union have voted for strike action in Northern Ireland over low pay and staffing levels. Members of both unions voted 92% in favour of strike action. The RCN’s action short of a strike will begin on 3 December building up to a strike on the 18th while UNISON will start its campaign on 25 November, also leading up to a strike on the 18th. The Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance is currently balloting its members on action, again over low pay, and the result will be announced on 25 November.