Homecare Voices, a grassroots support network for over 650 care workers throughout the UK, warned staff were being promised hourly rates that didn’t include their travel
Care workers who support the most vulnerable have raised concerns about being illegally underpaid and “misleading” job adverts.
Homecare Voices, a grassroots support network for over 650 care workers throughout the UK, warned staff were struggling to get hours, and being promised hourly rates that then didn’t include their gaps between visits.
Founder Rachel Kelso explained this meant care workers were fleeing the sector, or relying on second jobs just to make ends meet.
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Speaking to The Sunday Mirror, she said: “There are too many homecare companies serving neighbourhoods, splitting work between them so that staff struggle to get the hours they need.
“This has been allowed to happen because of the inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts to run core business operations.
“By not paying us for our legal working time of up to 60 minutes between care visits, homecare agencies advertise misleading hourly rates, making the public, politicians and job applicants believe staff are paid significantly more than they are.
“In some cases, homecare workers are actually being illegally paid below the National Minimum Wage.
“This means they’re really struggling to take home the income they otherwise would if they worked in a care home or a supermarket, and that’s why you get loads of people leaving the home care sector.”
Ms Kelso called for ministers to introduce shift-based pay and guaranteed hours contracts in homecare, as is already the norm in other countries; by placing a limit on the number of homecare providers serving each area and boosting adult social care funding through.
She also urged homecare workers to check their payslips, warning if they didn’t mention a Minimum Wage Top Up, there was a chance they’d been illegally underpaid, and they should report it.
Concerns were also raised by care worker Julie Sansom, who revealed she picked up work on her days off, just to get by.
The 54-year-old said: “The last company I worked for, they advertised a rate of £14 an hour, and they didn’t say anything about what was paid until I started the job and then it turns out that was contact time only, so all the gaps in between and the travel time from one call to another is unpaid.
“We’re all on zero hour contracts so our hours fluctuate each week. When you’ve got a mortgage to pay, bills to pay, you can’t rely on your income to meet those needs every month.
If you don’t get enough hours, you’re having to work on your days off just to make ends meet, there’s been weeks where I’ve worked every single day.
“When you complain about things, or mention hours, they use that as a punishment and force you to leave. One company halved my hours, said it was due to my conduct, and actually it was because I’d complained about someone being abusive to carers.
“I love the job, but I am currently planning to come out of it as I just can’t make ends meet.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Travel time between appointments counts as work time for minimum wage purposes.
“While most responsible businesses get it right and pay the correct minimum wage, we will take action against those that don’t to ensure workers receive what they are legally entitled to.”
