Labour Morning Star
Most care workers earn less than the real living wage, report finds
MORE than half of social care workers in England are paid below the real living wage, a new report said today. The number rises to nine out of 10 in London and is 54 per cent outside the capital, acco
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The number rises to nine out of 10 in London and is 54 per cent outside the capital, according to the Living Wage Foundation, which said that the real living wage is £15.45 in London and £14.10 across Britain.
The rate, which is based on the cost of living, is higher than the statutory minimum of £12.71 for adults, which will increase to £13.21 in April.
Living Wage Foundation co-director Emily Sawh said: “It simply isn’t right that those doing the hard and essential work of looking after our loved ones when they need it most aren’t paid enough to afford a decent quality of life.
“It also means the sector suffers. Staff turnover is high, quality of care is compromised and morale is low. This isn’t sustainable.”
The foundation said that almost three in five adult social care workers in England, or 594,000 staff, were paid below the voluntary rate.
The campaign group’s research also estimated that lifting care workers in England to the real living wage would cost £670 million a year and would raise £135m a year for the Exchequer in income tax and employee National Insurance contributions.
Workers benefiting from the increase would receive an extra £940 a year before tax, or £1,000 once increased pension contributions are included, said its report.
Nearly 17,000 employers pay the living wage, with more than 490,000 workers having received a pay rise as a result of the Living Wage campaign.A Unison spokesperson said: “Care staff do skilled work which deserves to be rewarded properly, in line with other public services. If ministers are to realise ambitious plans to transform social care then improving pay and conditions will be essential. “Unison is collecting views from care workers on their priorities for the first fair pay agreement to ensure urgent workforce challenges are met.”
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