Welsh Care Workers Deserve Better

I want the UK Government to end the underpayment of care workers in Wales.

A study by UNISON has found that failure to pay the minimum wage is consistent across the sector.  This is due to employers failing to pay for time spent travelling between home visits.

Travel time can often account for up to a fifth of care workers’ working days, and failure to pay workers for this can lead to wages well below the legal minimum.

UNISON Cymru revealed that one hundred home care workers in Swansea and Carmarthenshire received payments of as much as £2,500 after home care company MiHomecare corrected a breach of the National Minimum Wage regulations.

The Union have called for the UK Government to update  wage regulations so employers are forced to make pay calculations easier to understand, as confusing wage slips mean workers struggle to see how they are being paid.  This makes it difficult for them to challenge their employers.

Care workers play a crucial role in our communities, and it is a profession that should be widely respected and revered.  It is unacceptable that they are not being given the same rights as everyone else.

It is not right that people who provide such an essential service are being mistreated.  The Westminster Government needs to ensure that any loopholes like this are not being exploited.

I support UNISON in their calls for wage regulations to be changed.  We need to protect the rights of our workers, particularly in services that actively protect the vulnerable in our communities.