Care home workers maintain their strike

Care workers employed in Doncaster, South Yorkshire took their pay dispute to London on 8 August to protest outside the offices of Bridgepoint Capital, the owners of Care UK, the company that employs the care workers. This is the second time the workers have travelled to London. They are in the middle of a two-week strike, the latest action to prevent cuts of up to 35% in their pay. Meanwhile UNISON has written to the government to urge it to name and shame councils who commission social care from employers who pay less than the minimum wage. [Read more at > UNISON->http://www.unison.org.uk

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).

Collective bargaining over the VVT nursing home and home care agreement will resume on 14 September following informal talks between the unions and employers over the summer period. Both sides think that there is now scope for an agreement with a key point being provisions on age-related working time to improve work-life balance. [Read more at > FNV Abvakabo (NL)->http://www.abvakabofnv.nl/nieuws/nieuws/werkgevers-zorg-acties] [And at > CNV Publieke Zaak (NL)->http://www.mijnvakbond.nl/VVT-bonden-hervatten-overleg?referrer=272] [And at > NU’91 (NL)->http://www.nu91-leden.nl/cao.asp?grp=5&uid