Articles

Home Care Workers to receive London Living Wage

28/01/2014

Home care workers are to be paid a minimum of the London living wage under new plans to be issued by the council in Islington.  From the beginning of June, more than 800 carers will see their hourly wage rise to at least 8.80 per hour. Currently Islington London Borough Council provide more than 500,000 hours of home care every year, at a cost of over 6m.

The budgets of service users will rise accordingly so that those who are paid a direct wage by their service users can benefit from the wage increase.  The new plans will detail not just a higher wage but also detail improved standards for the quality of care at home that is provided.

Janet Burgess, deputy leader and executive member for health and wellbeing of the council, expressed her views that home carers should be recognised as providing a vital service that underpins social services. Without them many people could not live independent lives in their own homes, so the importance of their work should not be underestimated. She argued that paying a fair wage for an often demanding job will help to maintain high standards of care.

Islington London Borough Council announced last month that they were the first council to meet all the targets which were set by Unison’s Ethical Care Charter. The Charter was put in place to set minimum standards for those in need of home care, and ensures that workers are given enough time to do their jobs to a satisfactory level, get the training they need and receive a living wage for the work they provide.

Unison are campaigning for the living wage to be adopted throughout local government in 2014. Less than half of the councils in England and Wales have adopted the wage.

Care homes will be encouraged to pay their staff the living wage when contracts are up for renewal.