End ‘poverty wages’ for social care heroes, Angela Rayner demands

Angela Rayner will give a speech at Unison Women’s Conference today (February 17) where she will demand a pay rise for social care workers.

The deputy leader of the Labour Party said she is ‘proud’ to be speaking at the conference where she will be asking for a pay rise to at lease £10 per hour for underpaid care workers.

She said: ‘A pay rise for our social care heroes is well overdue, and it is the very least that they deserve after all they have done for us. Last year Boris Johnson and his Cabinet fell over themselves to clap for our carers.

‘Claps don’t pay the bills.

‘ Labour’s demands for a pay rise to at least £10 an hour would put an extra £50 a week into the pocket of an underpaid care worker.

‘It is a disgrace that the very same people who have been putting their lives on the line to care for others throughout this crisis are being paid poverty wages that leave them struggling to support themselves and their families.

‘Four years ago today I spoke at Unison Women’s Conference and I’m so proud to be back today demanding a pay rise for our key worker heroes.

‘You are our country’s heroes and a well overdue pay rise to at least £10 an hour is the very least you deserve after all you’ve done.’

According to the Resolution Foundation, around half of frontline carers are paid less than the real living wage (£10.85 in London and £9.50 across the rest of the UK).

The Office for National Statistics also revealed that social care workers are twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than healthcare workers.

More than 21,000 people have already signed a parliamentary petition calling for a £3.9bn special support fund to make fair pay a reality for care staff across the country.

The general secretary of Unison, Christina McAnea said: ‘Care staff have been applauded as national heroes. But Covid has forced them into life-threatening working conditions and caused untold mental strain.

‘The vast majority don’t even earn a living wage and cannot comfortably feed their families or pay the rent. The message to ministers is that it’s time care staff got a fair deal.’

Photo Credit – Parliament