UNISON tells St Helens Council to 'step up' over care pay

St Helens Council is the only local authority in the city region to not sign a pledge to pay care workers on sick leave a normal wage, or agree a similar sick pay scheme through negotiations with UNISON.

The public sector union asked all North West councils to sign the pledge, which guarantees sick pay and other protections for local care workers.

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St Helens Council said it could not sign the pledge as the vast majority of the borough’s care workers work for private companies, and therefore not directly employed by the local authority.

Local care workers have told UNISON they have been forced into poverty due to the lack of sick pay for staff who need to self-isolate or shield during the ongoing pandemic. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is just £95 per week and care workers told UNISON this is simply not enough money to get by.

ONS figures have also shown that care workers are twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than other front-line healthcare workers, sparking fears that care workers who do not receive sick pay are putting themselves and vulnerable residents at increased risk by attending work while unwell.

Responding to a UNISON survey, one St Helens-based care worker said: “In March, I was off with suspected COVID-19. I asked my employer about what to do and they told me to self-isolate.

“I did so and we discussed options relating to sick pay or furlough. They took so long to decide that I ended up getting paid nothing, not even SSP.

“I lost three weeks’ pay and I struggled to pay my bills.”

Another St Helens carer said: “I haven’t got enough essential PPE at work.

“I’m struggling mentally as my children are at home looking after each other, whilst I work.

“I’m a single parent and I’m really worried about paying the bills if I do have to go off due to COVID-19 and only receive SSP.”

One carer told the union how she has struggled to make ends meet after going off work sick in order to care for her husband, who returned home after a spell in Whiston Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in March.

“Because of the lockdown, there has been a lack of support for me as his only carer,” she said.

“This has put a great strain on me and on my husband as we have had no contact with anyone outside of our home, other than family members dropping food parcels off at the door.

“My husband was advised to shield throughout the entire lockdown period and he still needs my undivided care and attention.

“On top of all of our troubles that have come from my husband’s critical illness, I have now had trouble getting the correct pay from my employer.

“I have been giving in sick notes every 4-6 weeks and I was receiving SSP of £377 a month, which isn’t a lot to live on.

“We are struggling financially, but to make matters worse, my employer underpaid me by around £177 pounds last month which put me under even greater stress.”

Dan Smith, UNISON North West regional organiser, said the government’s £600 million Infection Control Fund, which was announced in May, will enable councils to ensure care staff are paid their normal wages if they are forced to self-isolate.

The funding has been given to local authorities to ensure care homes can continue to halt the spread of coronavirus by helping them cover the costs of implementing measures to reduce transmission.

Downing Street says the funding could be used pay the wages of those self-isolating.

Mr Smith said: “The government’s new £600 million Infection Control Fund provides funding which local authorities can use to ensure care workers get their normal wages if they have to self-isolate.

“In addition, it’s clear that social care workers are eligible for the government’s job retention scheme if they need to shield due to a health condition.

“This means that the cost to St Helens Council of guaranteeing full normal pay for all care workers that are absent due to COVID-19 is significantly reduced.

“Ten councils across the North West have shown that it is possible to take action to protect the livelihood of our social care heroes, it’s time for St Helens Council to step up and make the same commitments.”

The survey is part of UNISON North West’s Care Workers Vs COVID-19 campaign.

The campaign outlines a series of actions for employers, councils and other commissioners of social care to commit to, and revolve around protecting carers’ health, pay, employment and families.

Shadow Social Care Minister Liz Kendall has backed UNISON's campaign
Responding to UNISON, a spokesman for St Helens Council said: “The council informed UNISON that although it fully supported them in their campaign to improve care workers pay and conditions, it was unable to sign the pledge as the vast majority of care workers in St Helens are employed in the independent care sector and therefore not directly employed by the council.

“The council have, and will continue to fund COVID-19 costs for care providers including PPE, transport and staffing. This also includes funding for care workers who are self-isolating or shielding, increasing overtime and agency payments to cover staff absences and supplying additional PPE to care home staff in line with government guidance.

“The commitments highlighted in the UNISON campaign are now being met through COVID-19 and Infection Control funding, however as previously stated whilst the council recommends that staff absence due to COVID-19 should be funded, it cannot mandate care providers to enact this.”

Around 2,800 care workers responded to UNISON’s North West survey, which revealed the lack of support for care staff across the region during the ongoing public health crisis.

Worryingly, 8 out of 10 care workers surveyed believed they would not be paid their normal wages if they had to self-isolate due to COVID-19.

A large majority of the care workers surveyed by UNISON North West said that their employers were not doing enough to keep them and the people they care for safe.

Mr Smith said: “Care workers are on the front-line in the struggle against COVID-19.

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“The reality is they are twice as likely to die from the virus than other healthcare workers.

“How much of that is because of inadequate PPE or a lack of sick pay that prevents them from self-isolating or shielding when they need to?

“No-one should have to choose between their own health or hardship.”